House Concurrent Resolution 102

(As Adopted by House and Senate)

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION DESIGNATING MAY 2018 AS POPPY MONTH IN MISSISSIPPI.

WHEREAS, the American Legion was chartered by Congress in March 1919 as a wartime organization based on the four pillars of Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation, National Security, Americanism and Children and Youth; and

WHEREAS, over the years, the American Legion Families have become a preeminent community service organization which now encompasses more than 2.5 million members in over 14,000 American Legion Posts worldwide, working in a variety of programs to support the four pillars and benefit our nation's veterans, its service members, their families, the youth of America and its citizens; and the members of the American Legion Families are dedicated to upholding the ideals of freedom and democracy, while working to make a difference in the lives of fellow Americans; and

WHEREAS, the red poppy is considered the Veterans flower, and in the early 1920s at the first American Legion Auxiliary National Convention, the poppy was adopted as the American Legion Family Memorial Flower, and the goal of the American Legion Auxiliary Poppy Program is to put a visual image of the poppy with the sacrifice of service made by our veterans, to educate the public and raise awareness of the sacrifices made to ensure our many freedoms and emphasize the importance of showing respect for the symbol of the poppy as described in the poem, "In Flanders Fields" written on the World War I battlefront by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, M.D.; and

WHEREAS, "In Flanders Fields" remains one of the most memorable war poems written to this day, and it is a lasting legacy of the horrendous battle in the Ypres Salient in the spring of 1915, and Lieutenant Colonel McCrae wanted to express his anguish by composing a poem, and as he looked upon Flanders fields he heard the larks singing and he could see the wild poppies that sprang up from the ditches and the graves in front of him, and he spent 20 minutes of his precious rest time scribbling 15 lines of verse in a notebook; and

WHEREAS, the wild poppy is unlike any other flower because they only flower when all other neighboring plants have died, and their seeds can lie on the ground for years, but only when there are no other competing flowers or shrubs in the vicinity, such as when the ground is firmly rooted up, these seeds will sprout, and on the battlefield of the Western Front there were enormous amounts of rooted up soil, it was the perfect place for wild poppies to sprout, and as McCrae wrote the poem in his notebook, around him were blood-red poppies blossoming like no one had ever seen before; and

WHEREAS, the observance of Poppy Month in Mississippi provides an opportunity to recognize Legionnaires in statewide communities for their many contributions in serving selflessly in various wars to ensure our freedoms:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby designate May 2018 as Poppy Month in Mississippi.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Ms. Carlean Parker and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.