[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 91 (Tuesday, May 25, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E571]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    INTRODUCING HOUSE RESOLUTION SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF 
                           NATIONAL POPPY DAY

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                           HON. ANDRE CARSON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 25, 2021

  Mr. CARSON of Indiana. Madam Speaker, I rise to re-introduce a 
resolution recognizing and supporting the goals and ideals of National 
Poppy Day, May 28. The importance of this day cannot be overstated. 
It's a day full of respect and remembrance for servicemembers who 
sacrificed so much for our Nation. The poppy flower has long been a 
marker of respect and a way to raise awarerness and support for members 
of our Nation's veterans communities, servicemembers, and their 
families. On May 28, we share our respect for their work on behalf of 
our country by acknowledging the poppy flower's symbolism, and by 
recognizing their sacrifices--all by donning our ``poppy red.''
  The red-flowered corn poppy became symbolic as a living 
representation of the brave soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice on 
the fields of battle in World War I. Since that time, the red of the 
poppy flower--itself a symbol of the blood shed by those who have 
served--has been worn as a gesture of gratitude and recognition of 
others' respective sacrifices for their country, in different theaters 
of war.
  In the United States, The American Legion--and the entire American 
Legion Family--first called attention in 1920 to the symbolic 
importance of the poppy flower. At that time, near the end of the war, 
red-flowered corn poppies were especially linked to the poem In 
Flanders Fields, which reads:
  ``In Flanders Fields the poppies blow, between the crosses, row on 
row''
  This reference, evoking images of the poppies that sprang up in the 
churned-up earth of newly dug soldiers' graves in parts of Belgium and 
France following World War I, encapsulates the symbolic importance of 
National Poppy Day.
  I am proud to have partnered with The American Legion on this bill as 
their headquarters is in Indianapolis, in my district, and we invite 
all Members of Congress to wear their poppy red, support the goal and 
ideals of National Poppy Day on May 28, and pay tribute to those who 
have sacrificed for our country. I also invite all of my colleagues to 
join me in sponsoring this resolution.

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