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Buddy Poppy
The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United
States was the first veteran organization to promote a nationally
organized campaign for the annual distribution of poppies assembled
by disabled and needy veterans.
The poppy movement was inspired by the poem
“In Flanders Field” written by Colonel John
McCrae of the Canadian Forces before the
United States entered W.W.I.
Distributing replicas of the original
Flanders’ poppy originated in some of the
allied countries immediately after the
Armistice.
No definite
organized distribution of poppies on a
nationwide scale was conducted in America
until 1921, when the Franco-American
Children’s league distributed poppies
ostensibly for the benefit of children in
the devastated areas of France and Belgium.
Madam
Guerin, who was recognized as “The Poppy
Lady from France”, sought and received the
cooperation of the Veterans of Foreign Wars
of the U.S. early in 1922, after the
Franco-American Children’s League was
dissolved. The VFW conducted a poppy
campaign prior to Memorial Day, 1922, using
only poppies that were made in France.
In the 1923 Poppy Campaign, due to the
difficulty and delay in getting poppies from
France, the VFW made use of a surplus of
French poppies that were on hand and the
balance was provided by a firm in New York
City manufacturing artificial flowers.
It was during
the 1923 campaign that the VFW evolved the
idea which resulted in the VFW Buddy Poppy
fashioned by disabled and needy veterans who
were paid for their work as a practical
means of providing assistance for these
Comrades. In February, 1924, the VFW
registered the name “Buddy Poppy” with the
United States patent office, and a
certificate was issued on May 20, 1924,
granting the VFW all trademark rights in the
name of “Buddy” under the classification of
artificial flowers. The VFW has made
that trademark a guarantee that all poppies
bearing that name and the VFW label are
genuine products of the work of disabled and
needy veterans. No other organization,
firm or individual can make legal use of the
name “Buddy Poppy".
Today, VFW
Buddy Poppies are assembled by disabled,
needy, and aging veterans in VA Hospitals,
State veterans homes and domiciliary across
the country. The majority of proceeds
derived from each campaign conducted by VFW
Posts and their Ladies Auxiliaries is
retained locally to provide for veteran
services and welfare. The minimal
assessment (cost of Buddy Poppies) to VFW
units provides compensation to the veterans
who assembled the poppies, provides
financial assistance in maintaining state
programs, and partially supports the VFW
National Home for orphans and widows of our
nations’ veterans.
Buddy Poppy proceeds represent no profit to
any VFW unit. All the money
contributed by the public for Buddy Poppies
is used in the cause of veterans welfare, or
for the well-being of their needy dependents
and the orphans of veterans. |
