Originally known as “Decoration Day”, Memorial Day is a day to remember those who have paid the ultimate price in the service to the United States of America. Although many cities and towns claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day, Waterloo, New York was officially been declared as the birthplace of this holiday in 1966. None the less, Memorial Day was borne out of the Civil War and became a federal holiday in 1971. The Civil War claimed more lives than any other conflict in United States History.
You may have heard about red poppies being symbolic of Memorial Day – here’s how that came to be. In 1925 Moina Michael crafted a poem in response to this holiday:
“ We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.”
Moina was the first to wear a red poppy as a symbol of honor to those who passed during their time of service. She sold these poppies and the money she made went toward helping servicemen in need. Before Memorial Day in 1922 the VFW was the first veterans organization to sell poppies nationally. In 1948 the US Post Office issued a red 3 cent postage stamp in honor of Ms. Michael for her role in founding the National Poppy Movement.
Here at Paradiso Insurance we take pride in the country we live in as we recognize the sacrifices made by our heroes everyday. Freedom is not free and we will never stop preaching that. Join us on June 14th for our annual Flag Day celebration as we continue to honor our great country we are privileged to live in. Learn more at www.flagsfromparadiso.com