CHENANGO COUNTY – Members of Chenango County American Legion Auxiliary units are preparing to distribute red crepe paper poppies to honor the fallen and support the living who have worn our nation’s military uniforms.

After WWI, the poppy became abundant in Europe. Scientists attributed the growth to soil becoming enriched with lime from the rubble left by the war.

Following the publication of the wartime poem “In Flanders Fields” the red poppy came to symbolize the blood shed during battle. The poem was written by Canadian Lt. Col. John McCrae, a medical doctor, while serving on the front lines.