John McCrae's War: In Flanders Fields

Why do we wear poppies on Veteran's Day? In large part because of the poem In Flanders Fields. Poppies only grow in disturbed dirt. Because the battlefields and graves were freshly turned over, poppies grew on the fields. This is the story of the poet John McCrae who wrote In Flanders Fields.

Here is the poem:

In Flanders Fields
John McCrae, 1872 - 1918

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place, and in the sky,
The larks, still bravely singing, fly,
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead; short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe!
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high!
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.