Whereas poppies are worn and displayed as a symbolic tribute to fallen and future veterans and members of the Armed Forces;

Whereas the use of the poppy symbolically comes from the poem In Flanders Fields, which movingly begins, In Flanders Fields the poppies blow, between the crosses, row on row, referring to the poppies that sprang up in the battlefields and newly dug soldiers’ graves in parts of Belgium and France during World War I;

Whereas John McCrae’s poem inspired Moina Belle Michael of Athens, Georgia, to write her own poem entitled We Shall Keep the Faith, in which she promised to wear a red poppy to memorialize American soldiers killed in World War I;

Whereas the American Legion family and the Veterans of Foreign Wars adopted the poppy as a symbol of freedom and the blood shed by those who have served in the United States Armed Forces;

Whereas the red poppy has been worn in the United States for more than 80 years as a way to remember those individuals who died fighting for freedom and democracy around the world and to raise money to help disabled veterans;

Whereas the poppy is worn throughout the world to commemorate members of the Armed Forces who have died in the line of duty, as part of Remembrance Day, Armistice Day, or Poppy Day ceremonies;

Whereas, as the United States commemorates yearly the lives of Americans who gave the ultimate sacrifice of their lives on Memorial Day, it is fitting to attach the symbolic meaning of the poppy and formally recognize its historic symbolism;

Whereas wearing a poppy can unite citizens from across the country who wish to show their patriotism and appreciation for those who serve as members of the United States Armed Forces; and

Whereas the Friday before each Memorial Day is an appropriate day to recognize as National Poppy Day: Now, therefore, be it