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By Sarah Hunt, AZFB Communications Intern

I remember seeing poppies worn on Veteran’s Day only a few times, one of those being at a Veterans breakfast event I volunteered for at my high school. I didn’t know the story behind them at the time, but even so, they have grown to have a special significance to me.

I have a dress with red poppies on it, and when I found another one by the same company this past summer, I was ecstatic. Unfortunately, my package went missing. I went to a few different post offices trying to see if the mailman brought it back there; no luck. I eventually came to the conclusion that it was stolen.

By the time I got a refund and went to reorder everything, the poppy dress was out of stock, leaving me crestfallen. Then a few days later, I was looking on their website again for something similar to replace it. And lo and behold, by some miracle, that dress had only two sizes, and one of them was my size.

This may sound like a trivial story to some of you, but it meant a lot to me. I’ve now come to greatly appreciate poppies and wear them to remind me of my two late grandfathers, who both served in World War II. They both passed while I was in high school, and although both journaled about their experiences, I still wish I had more time with them to hear their war stories in person.

Around this time of the year, I’ve often wondered why poppies are used as a symbol to remember veterans and how it came to be known for that. So I did my research and found the story, and boy, it is one you will not soon forget.

You can read the full story here, but in summary, these persistent flowers (which are technically classified as weeds) grew on a battlefield despite all the damage done to the environment and the casualties suffered there. They offered hope and beauty in one of history’s most ugly moments. Most of the countries that sided with the Allied forces have now officially adopted the holiday and the poppy to remember those who served in The Great War.

If you are looking for meaningful ways to honor the veterans in your life this year, click on the links below.

10 Ways to Honor Veterans Beyond Veterans Day

Meaningful Ways to Celebrate Veterans Day

10 Ways to Honor Veterans Day

Find more ways to honor your veterans on Fill Your Plate’s blog.