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By Jeff Hanson
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The veteran residents of the Central Utah Veterans Home are joining with the folks at Home Depot, Old Castle and Payson City in the development of a poppy field at the veteran’s home in Payson to honor those who never came home from our nation’s wars. The poppy field will be approximately 1,600 square feet and will contain 350 plants.
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The poppy is symbolic of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. The symbolism is noted in many countries and is derived from the famous WWI poem “In Flanders Fields” written by LTC John McCrae to honor his good friend who was killed in battle. The poem reads:
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rIn Flanders fields the poppies blow
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Between the crosses, row on row,
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That mark our place: and in the sky
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The larks still bravely singing fly
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Scarce heard amid the guns below.
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We are the dead: Short days ago,
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We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
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Loved and were loved: and now we lie
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In Flanders fields!
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Take up our quarrel with the foe
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To you, from failing hands, we throw
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The torch: be yours to hold it high
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If ye break faith with us who die,
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We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
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In Flanders fields.
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The poppies will bloom for a two-week period each spring around Memorial Day. During this time, the main hallway overlooking the poppy field will become a memorial to honor and remember the fallen. The “In Flanders Fields” poem will be displayed. Veteran residents, staff, family members and the community will have the opportunity to write down the name of anyone they know who paid the ultimate sacrifice on a 5×7 card and post the card on the wall near the windows overlooking the poppy field. The poppies blooming and honoring the fallen will be an annual event residents will look forward to each spring.
