Saugerties town supervisor Fred Costello and village mayor Bill Murphy have issued a joint proclamation naming May as American Legion Poppy Month. The poppies are handmade by disabled veterans, and the proceeds of this fund-raising campaign are used exclusively for the benefit of disabled and needy veterans and the widows and orphans of deceased veterans.
According to the American Legion Auxiliary website, the Auxiliary distributes poppies on Memorial Day in May and Veterans’ Day in November. The poppies have been a national symbol of remembrance since 1920, originally in memory of the soldiers who fell in World War I.
Poppies are not sold, according to the auxiliary, but are given to citizens to wear in memory of those who gave their lives for the country. Recipients are, however, encouraged to donate to the Legion.
“The poppy is the symbol of our appreciation for the sacrifices of our honored dead,” the proclamation states.
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