Staff reports

 

American Legion Auxiliary Unit 342, which meets at the Harold B. Jarrett American Legion Building, 1024 Lincolnton Road, is encouraging the community to honor fallen warriors on National Poppy Day.

On May 24 from 8 a.m. to noon at the Salisbury Farmers Market, 228 E. Kerr St., Salisbury, members of the unit will be distributing red poppies in exchange for a donation to help with the continuing needs of veterans.

In a release, it was noted that the Flanders Fields poppy has become an internationally known and recognized symbol of the lives sacrificed in war and the hope that none died in vain. The American Legion Family called upon Congress to proclaim the Friday before Memorial Day as National Poppy Day, which was officially designated as such in 2017.

“Wearing the poppy on National Poppy Day and throughout Memorial Day weekend is one small way to honor and remember our fallen warriors who willingly served our nation and made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom,” said ALA Unit 342 President Julie Smith. “We must never forget.”

When the American Legion Family adopted the poppy as its memorial flower in the early 1920s, the blood-red icon became an enduring symbol of honor for the sacrifices of our veterans from the battlefields of France in World War I to today’s conflicts. The American Legion Auxiliary raises millions of dollars each year, distributing poppies nationwide, with 100 percent of the funds raised going directly to help veterans, military and their families.

The American Legion Auxiliary, founded in 1919, is a community of volunteers that serves in multiple ways including assisting veterans in hospitals, advocating for veteran issues, supporting therapeutic creative arts festivals and distributing poppies for remembrance.

For more information, call The American Legion Auxiliary Unit 342 at 704-637-1722.