Members of the Great Bend American Legion Unit 180 and Auxiliary invite the public to honor our nation’s fallen warriors and contribute to the continuing needs of veterans by wearing a red poppy for Memorial Day. Handmade crepe paper poppies will be available for a donation.
Members of the American Legion Post 180 family will be in front of both Dillons stores and Wal-Mart from 1:30-5:30 p.m. on Friday, May 26, to accept donations and hand out the poppies.
Then, starting at 8 a.m. on Saturday, May 27, they will be in front of Wal-Mart and at 9 a.m. they will be in front of Orscheln Farm & Home, Waters True Value Hardware, Sutherlands and both Dillions stores. They will be in front of Wal-Mart at noon on Sunday, May 28, if they still have some of the 3,000 poppies, said Marianne Krallman. She is a co-chair of this year’s Poppy Program along with Jeannie Munsch.
The Flanders Field poppy has become an internationally known and recognized symbol of the lives sacrificed in war and the hope that none died in vain.
“Wear the poppy this Memorial Day weekend to honor and remember our fallen warriors who willingly served our nation and made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom,” Krallman said. “We must never forget.”
The poppy also honors hospitalized and disabled veterans who handcraft many of the red, crepe paper flowers. Making the poppies provides a financial and therapeutic benefit to the veterans, as well as a benefit to thousands of other veterans and their families through the donations collected.
In the battlefields of Belgium during World War I poppies grew wild amid the ravages of war. The overturned soils of battle enabled the poppy seeds to be covered, allowing them to grow and forever serve as a reminder of the bloodshed of war.
Replicas of poppies were first distributed in other countries following the end of World War I, and were inspired by the poem “In Flanders Fields,” written by Col. John McCrane of Canada in 1915. Connecting the visual image of the poppy with the sacrifice of service made by our veterans has been an important goal of the American Legion Auxiliary poppy Program since its inception in 1921. The Poppy Program raises community awareness and respect for veterans by educating the public about the symbol of the poppy, taken from a line in the poem.

About the Auxiliary
American Legion Auxiliary members have dedicated themselves for nearly a century to meeting the needs of our nation’s veterans, military and their families here and abroad. They volunteer millions of hours yearly, with a value of more than $3.1 billion. As part of the world’s largest women’s patriotic service organization, Auxiliary volunteers across the country also step up to honor veterans and military through annual scholarships and with Girls State programs, teaching high school juniors to be leaders grounded in patriotism and Americanism.
To learn more about the Auxiliary’s mission online, visit www.ALA for Veterans.org. The local auxiliary is on Facebook at Kansas American Legion Auxiliary Unit 180.