05/23/2026
The story begins after World War I. During the war, bright red poppies grew across the battlefields of Flanders in Belgium. Canadian military doctor John McCrae wrote the famous poem “In Flanders Fields” in 1915 after seeing the flowers growing among soldiers’ graves. The poem helped make the red poppy an international symbol of remembrance.
A French woman named Anna Guérin promoted the idea of selling artificial poppies to raise money for war victims and veterans. In 1922, the Veterans of Foreign Wars became the first veterans organization in the U.S. to organize a nationwide poppy distribution before Memorial Day.
In 1923, the VFW decided the poppies would be assembled by disabled and needy veterans, who would be paid for their work. The veterans making the flowers began calling them “Buddy Poppies” in honor of the buddies who never came home from war. The name was officially adopted and trademarked in 1924.
Today, Buddy Poppies are still distributed around Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Donations help fund veteran assistance programs, rehabilitation services, and support for veterans’ families.
