American Legion Auxiliary Poppy symbolizes nation’s sacrifice

Auxiliary members of Russell- Toycen Unit 131 understand the sacrifice our Armed Forces have made to preserve freedom and to honor past and current service members. Members of Russell- Toycen Unit 131 will wear a red Memorial Poppy, a symbol of the price of war and the sacrifice of millions, as a sign of their appreciation this Memorial Day weekend.

The 900,000 members of the American Legion Auxiliary, the world’s largest women’s patriotic service organizations, are asking everyone to wear a Poppy on Memorial Day weekend.

“Wear it in honor of the millions of Americans who have willingly served our nations, all to many of whom made the ultimate sacrifice,” Said Poppy Chair Arlene Scheidecker.

The Poppy also honors Wisconsin’s disabled veterans at the Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee who make the red crepe paper Poppy. Wisconsin’s Red Poppies provide financial and therapeutic benefit to these veterans, as well as the thousands of veterans and their families who benefit from the donations collected from the distribution of the Auxiliary Poppy.

In the battlefields of Belgium during World War 1, 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.

Please join Colfax American Legion Auxiliary on May 8, 2013 in recognizing the sacrifice of our veterans by making a donation to the veterans poppy fund and by wearing a red Memorial Poppy this Memorial Day weekend.