Why We Wear the Red Poppy: The American Legion Poppy Story in Williamsport

If you’ve ever taken a small red paper poppy from an Auxiliary volunteer in exchange for a donation, you’ve taken part in one of the oldest memorial traditions in the country — and one that still funds real help for veterans in Williamsport, MD today.

Where the poppy comes from

The tradition traces back to a 1915 poem written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae after the Second Battle of Ypres:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow / Between the crosses, row on row…

— John McCrae, “In Flanders Fields,” 1915

McCrae noticed wild poppies growing across the graves of soldiers in Flanders, Belgium — the flower became a symbol of remembrance for a generation shaped by war. In 1921, the American Legion Auxiliary formally adopted the poppy as its memorial flower, and Auxiliary units across the country — including Unit 202 here in Williamsport — have distributed them ever since.

More than a symbol

Unlike a lot of memorial traditions, the poppy isn’t just symbolic — it’s functional. Every poppy handed out in exchange for a donation funds the Poppy Fund, which goes directly to veterans and military families in Washington County: a ride to the VA, help with a heating bill, a hospital visit from someone who understands. Remembrance, turned into rent money and warm houses.

When you’ll see us

Auxiliary volunteers distribute poppies each spring, and the tradition is closely tied to Memorial Day observances here in Williamsport. If you see us with a basket of poppies outside a local business or at an event, that small donation goes further than you’d think.

Want to be part of it?

You can support the Poppy Fund directly through our Donate page, or volunteer to help distribute poppies when the season comes around.