May 18-26 is Buddy Poppy Campaign Week in Merrill

BY TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR

On Friday, May 10, 2024, Merrill Mayor Steve Hass issued a proclamation that the week of May 18-26, 2024, be designated as “Buddy Poppy Campaign Week” in Merrill and asking that “all citizens pay tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of freedom by wearing the Memorial Poppy during this week.”
“The City of Merrill supports the annual Buddy Poppy Campaign for the VFW Post 1638 and Auxiliary to honor our fallen” and “recognizes the importance of honoring those who have worn our nation’s uniform,” the proclamation said. “A nation at peace must be reminded of the price of war and the debt owed every service member who has died in the name of liberty and freedom …”
After World War I, the red poppy became a symbol of the blood shed during battle, and in 1922, the “Buddy Poppy” became an annual reminder of lives sacrificed on battle fields, distributed by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) posts and their auxiliaries throughout the United States. The first year, poppies were imported from France, but the VFW soon discovered having paper poppies made by disabled, hospitalized, and aging veterans and then shipping them to VFW posts and auxiliaries for distribution was a better way and also provided veterans with a small source of income. Funds raised through the annual “Buddy Poppy Campaign” go to veterans and dependents and orphans of deceased veterans who are in need, while the wearing and display of the red poppies continues to honor the lives lost in service to our country.