Legion Auxiliary's Poppy symbolizes nation’s sacrifice

American Legion Auxiliary members of Renton-Pickering Unit No. 79 of Snoqualmie understand the sacrifice that the United States armed forces have made to preserve freedom and honor past and current American service members.

Members wear a red memorial poppy as a sign of their appreciation on Memorial Day weekend.

The American Legion Auxiliary memorial poppy is a symbol of the price of war and the sacrifice of millions. Members of American Legion Auxiliary Unit No. 79 of Snoqualmie will be distributing the Poppy at various locations around the Snoqualmie Valley through May 31.

Auxiliary members ask every American citizen to wear a poppy on the observance of Memorial Day, Monday, May 31, in addition to the entire preceding weekend.

“Wear it in honor of the millions of Americans who have willingly served our nation, all too many of whom have made the ultimate sacrifice,” said Kathy Kerr, Dept of Washington American Legion Auxiliary President, and also a long time member of Renton-Pickering Unit #79.

“This entire Memorial Day weekend will pay an honored tribute to all veterans, especially those who are currently serving in the War on Terror,” she added.

The poppy also honors the hospitalized and disabled veterans who make the red, handcrafted flowers. The poppy continues to provide a financial and therapeutic benefit to those veterans who construct them, as well as benefiting thousands of other veterans and their families by the revenues collected from poppy distributions.

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.

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