A field of poppys. A standing symbol of recognition of veterans who gave their lives to ensure the sanctity of our great nation. But, how did it come to be? From 1914 to 1918, Flanders Fields was a major battle theatre on the western front during World War I. A million soldiers from more than 50 different countries were wounded, missing or killed in action there. The artillery shells that churned up the soil and maimed and killed soldiers, brought not only clostridia, the deadly bacteria to the surface, but also encouraged the spread and growth of the dormant poppy seeds that later in their beauty, bloomed in profusion on the barren, scarred land, even in the cemeteries.
In the spring of 1915, a Canadian doctor, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae wrote the famous poem after seeing the poppies growing:
Listen closely
Take the time to remember, never forget–
