The entire American Legion Family is asking all Americans to honor our heroes on National Poppy Day.
During this special month of May, we take time to honor and remember those who never came home. For Medal of Honor recipient Florent “Flo” Groberg, his thoughts turn to Command Sgt. Maj. Kevin Griffin, Maj. Thomas Kennedy, Maj. Walter Gray and Ragaei Abdelfattah, a volunteer with the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Groberg received the Medal of Honor for intercepting a suicide bomber in Afghanistan on Aug. 8, 2012, an attack that killed those four men.
“For the rest of my life, I made a dedication that I would live for them,” Groberg said. “I would live for their families. I would wake up every single day and do whatever I can to earn that right to be on this earth, that I earn the right to wear this medal around my neck that does not belong to me. It belongs to my brothers who never came home. It belongs to their families. It belongs to you. It belongs to the United States of America, our flag and every individual – military and otherwise – who put their lives on the line.”
One does not have to wear the nation’s highest award for valor to properly honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice so others could live in freedom. In fact, the entire American Legion Family is asking all Americans to honor these heroes on National Poppy Day, May 26, 2017.
We encourage all veterans, servicemembers and patriotic citizens to wear or display a poppy on National Poppy Day to remember our fallen and support the living. National Poppy Day, of which the Boeing Co. is a premier sponsor this year, broadens a tradition that began in 1920, when the poppy became an official flower of the Legion Family.
Just like the Legion, the history of the poppy as a symbol dates back nearly a century. In the aftermath of the Great War, the flower flourished in Europe and came to represent the sacrifices made by U.S. troops and millions of others who struck a blow to tyranny.
Since that time, the American Legion Auxiliary has become known for its work distributing poppies, as a way to remember our nation’s fallen and raise funds to help veterans and active-duty military personnel with medical and financial needs. This year we ask the entire American Legion Family to expand these efforts by promoting National Poppy Day in communities across the country.
The Legion has outlined several ways that Legion Family members can engage their local communities, generate media attention, and raise money for programs that provide lifelong support to servicemembers, veterans and their families. Go to www.legion.org/poppyday for a full guide to how you can get involved in National Poppy Day.
By wearing poppies on May 26, we honor every U.S. servicemember who has given his or her life in the name of liberty, freedom and democracy. At the same time, by wearing this simple red flower, we show our support for veterans of generations to come.
Florent Groberg will be wearing a poppy to honor his friends. I will be wearing one to honor some heroes who are special to me. Who will you honor by wearing a poppy?
- Magazine