The red poppy has connected generations of veterans, service members, and their families with civilians in remembering all those who have fallen. For over 100 years, the VFW's "Buddy" Poppy® program has honored those who have sacrificed by raising millions of dollars to support veterans' well-being.
"Buddy” Poppy® History: Before Memorial Day in 1922, the VFW
conducted its first poppy distribution, becoming the first veterans'
organization to organize a nationwide distribution. The poppy soon was adopted
as the official memorial flower of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United
States, as it remains today.
In 1923, the
VFW decided that the poppies would be assembled by disabled and needy veterans
who would be paid for their work. The next year, disabled veterans at the Buddy
Poppy factory in Pittsburgh assembled poppies for distribution. The
designation "'Buddy' Poppy" was adopted for the assembled flowers. In 1924, the
VFW registered the name "Buddy” Poppy® with the U.S. Patent Office.
Read more about the history of the "Buddy” Poppy®: /uploads/Documents/BuddyPoppyHistory2019.pdf
For more
information, go here:
FOLLOW US