General John Logan declared May 30, 1868 a day to decorate the graves of soldiers from both the North and the South in Arlington National Cemetery. New York was the first state to give official recognition to the holiday. Most states in the North recognized it by 1890, but the South refused to do so.
In the South, each state had its own day for honoring the Civil War dead. It remained so until after World War I, when the day was changed to honor the fallen heroes of all wars.
During World War I, Flanders (and Belgium as a whole) saw some of the greatest loss of life on the Western Front of the First World War, in particular from the three battles of Ypres. Due to the hundreds of thousands of casualties at Ypres, the poppies that sprang up from the battlefield afterwards, later immortalized in the Canadian poem "In Flanders Fields", written by John McCrae, have become a symbol for lives lost in war.
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In Flanders
Fields
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead.
Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel
with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders
fields.
— Lt.-Col. John
McCrae (1872 - 1918)
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Flanders is a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. Over the course of history, the geographical territory that was called "Flanders" has varied.
Inspired by the poem, Moina Michael wrote her own poem about poppies. She had an idea that every person should wear a poppy to honor the dead. Money raised went to help servicemen.
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WE SHALL KEEP THE FAITH
Oh!
you who sleep in Flanders Fields,
Sleep sweet - to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
With All who died.
We cherish, too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led;
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a luster to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.
And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We'll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields
Moina Michael
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Soon the idea of selling poppies spread to Europe. In 1922, the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) became the first national American veterans group to sell the artificial poppies. Two years later, disabled vets began making the poppies to sell. In 1948, the U.S. Post Office honored Moina Michael for her part in the poppy movement by producing a stamp with her picture on it.
In the 1950's, American flags were placed on the graves in Arlington National Cemetery. They were overseen by a branch of the military. Many branches of the military have led the way in honoring those who have died for their country.
In recent years, many people have forgotten the true meaning of Memorial Day. They think of it only as a holiday to mark the start of summer. When you think of Memorial Day this year, remember the soldiers who have served your country. Many of them died to give you the freedoms you now enjoy.