The red flower being a poppy.
It doesn't matter which hat he wears or if the colors clash, he moves the red flower from hat to hat. Adorning the brim or pinned on the top, it seems to mold into the hat and also his personality. And your eyes can't help but be drawn to the little red petals.
For as long as I can remember, I have seen the poppy as part of Pop's wardrobe, but never truly understood what the meaning behind the small little red flower was. Actually, that's a lie. When I was really little I thought my Pop wore the poppy to make us, his family happy because of how much we all enjoyed "The Wizard of Oz". If you are familiar with the movie, Dorothy and her friends can finally see the Emerald City on the horizon and only one small field separates them from the glittering green. A small field of poppies. Running through the field was the only way to reach it, which was exactly the plan of the Wicked Witch of the West. The minute the living (or Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion, and Toto) stepped into the field and inhaled the poppy scent, they fell into a wakeless sleep.
It made perfect sense at the time, I swear! It was the only logical explanation for him wearing the flower and the only other place I had seen the poppy flower.
Obviously, I was a bit misguided by my love of the musical. On top of the complete misrepresentation of the flower, I also believed that all poppies were in fact poisonous and put you into a magical sleep from which no one would wake(which kind of is correct if you think about the opiate qualities of the flower).
It wasn't until years later that I realized what the poppy flower actually stood for and why, more importantly, my Pop decided to make it part of his everyday wardrobe.
Here's a little history lesson for those who don't know...
Poppies are native to Belgium, and during WWI the flower still found a way to bloom through all the bloodshed on the battlefields where many young men lost their lives. It was a major juxtaposition to see such a beautiful flower popping up around the bodies and blood of so many. Inspired by this, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae from Canada wrote a poem.
Capturing the sorrow and grief of his fallen brothers, the poem connected all soldiers in one common bond. The poem was soon after published in the Ladies Home Journal, where Moine Michael happened to find it. So inspired by the words that in 1918 Ms. Michael wrote a response poem.
"We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows of fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies,
That blood of heroes
never dies."
And instead of just writing about the poppy, Ms. Michael also started to make silk replicas of the flowers and sell them to benefit servicemen in need.
And I guess the rest is history. The poppy is now the symbol of fallen soldiers and still continues to be sold by VFW members across the country--especially around Memorial Day, which is the one day of the year we are meant to memorialize and recognize the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom (in case you have forgotten why we have off Monday).
Even after I figured all this out, I still had no clue why Pop decided to wear a poppy even when it wasn't Memorial Day. It made sense to wear it for the holiday, but every day just seemed a little odd. I even remember asking my Dad the reason for it. He answered me quite simply, "Because Pop was in the War and lost a lot of friends over there."
At the time, I didn't know my grandfather was in WWII. I knew he served somewhere (I actually remember telling my 5th grade teacher that Pop was in the marines and served in Korea. I wasn't even close) but I had no clue as to the extent of it. Because Pop never talked about his war days. To anyone--not even my grandmom or his own kids.
Not until about 9 years ago.
Pop was in the Navy and served in the Pacific during the American Theater Campaign during WWII. He served on a salvage vessel and was sent bouncing around the multiple Pacific islands preventing ships from sinking after being hit by kamikazes and to deal with the dead. At the young age of 19, Pop saw more bloodshed and death than any person ever should. He has stories for days, stories that have changed my life and writing. He is the bravest man I have ever known, but even brave men have their weaknesses--Pop still has nightmares from his days at sea and some stories still bring him to tears.
He will be 90 years old this year, and there isn't a day that goes by that he isn't proud of having served our country. And wearing the poppy is one way he shows his pride and acknowledges the lives of his fallen brothers.
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| "Steiny" age 19 |
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| "Steiny" in 1989 |
I am proud to be the granddaughter of a soldier, and not just on Memorial Day but every day. And I will be sure to buy poppies from all veterans I see this weekend.
Will you do the same?
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