Salute to
Veterans
A special publication of the Ludington Daily News
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WELCOME VETERANS AND FAMILIES! We are proud to be chosen a Vets-Cars approved dealer. With our excellent customer service and low low prices, we have vowed that our service member's will receive a superior vehicle buying experience. Come and experience the difference here at Urka Auto Center. Veterans please stop in and sign our “Wall of Honor” and let us say “Thank You” to you and your families for all you’ve done for our country.
URKA AUTO CENTER CHEVROLET • BUICK www.urkaauto.com
3736 W. US-10 (TOLL FREE) 888-462-8752 (231) 845-6282
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The Name on the Wall It just stood there before me, this gray polished wall. As it has for all to see, the names who gave their all. It beckoned forth to teach me, a lesson of my very own. That peace and liberty are not free, and this I must make known. Thousands gave their all for me, their love, joys, and tomorrows. So I could have today to see, this tribute full of sorrows. There is a name on the Wall, and lo it is not mine.
It is that of my wartime brother, whose life had run out of time. It is not what you take with you, but what you leave behind. The name on the Wall is always with me, and therefore will always be mine. There is a name on the wall, and this I truly regret. It represents little good in death, and this I shall not forget. Lt. Col. Donald G. Hall, U.S. Army, Retired Sept. 11, 2014
We Thank You For Your Service THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY TIRE & SERVICE, INC. www.rootstire.com
1944 W. US 10 (Between Ludington & Scottville)
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Still serving where he can BY KEVIN BRACISZESKI DAILY NEWS STAFF writer
W
hen Bill Swan thinks back on his time serving in Korea during the Korean War, the weather jumps to the front of his mind. “It was colder than h--in Korea,” he recalled. “In the winter, over there, they told us it was between 32 degrees and 40
‘When we went in Korea it didn’t matter what your MOS (military occupational specialty) was you
were a foot soldier because that’s what they needed.’ Bill Swan
degrees below zero and that isn’t the windchill factor.” When asked how he stayed warm in that weather, Swan replied: “We didn’t. You just put on everything you had. “When we started, it was summer and we didn’t have winter clothes,” he added. Swan was among the first U.S. soldiers shipped to Korea because he was already serving with the occupation forces in nearby Sendai, Japan. “I was in Japan when the war broke out in Ko-
Jeff Kiessel | Daily News
Bill Swan holds up an “Army Times” newspaper.
rea and I was in Korea two days later,” he said. He would remain in Korea for the next 17 months and four days, Swan recalled.
Joining up Swan, who will turn 85 on Nov. 12, lived at his grandmother’s house at the corner of Sixth and Adams streets during the 1940s and he graduated from Ludington High
School in 1948. “I graduated from high school and was working on the boats and one day I decided to enlist,” he said about joining the Army with a group of friends in 1948. As an enlistee, Swan said, he was given a classification as RA, which stood for regular Army. He said draftees had the classification US on their serial numbers. His choices as an en-
listee, Swan said, were 18 months of service and time in the Army Reserves, 24 months of service and less time in the Army Reserves, or 36 months of service and no time in the Army Reserves. “I went with 36 months and then I got the Truman year added on when I was in Korea,” Swan said. He began his military service Sept. 2, 1948 and
went to Fort Knox, Kentucky for basic training and attended school in New Jersey before he was shipped out to serve in Japan. Soon he would be in Korea.
War zone “When we went in Korea it didn’t matter what your MOS (military occupational specialty) was, you were a foot soldier
because that’s what they needed,” Swan said. He was trained as a mechanic, a driver and a radio repairman as well as a basic soldier. Swan said he served in the Pusan Perimeter, which was the southeastern corner of South Korea, an area where the invading North Korean Army had pushed United Nations forces early in the war. “They were pumping troops in there with everything that moved,” he said. “We were there to push back the North Koreans and you did what you were told. “It was unbelievable how fast they pushed people and equipment in there.” U.N. forces were later able to push the North Koreans back across the 38th Parallel and even back to the Yalu River, which was the border with China. The Chinese then entered the war to support North Korea. The Chinese pushed U.N. forces back to the 38th Parallel, which was used as the boundary between North Korea and South Korea after an armistice was signed in July 1953. “I got all the way to the Yalu River and that’s when we got going the other way,” Swan said. “War is hell. It’s just fought in different ways in different places,” he said. “You can have a
See swan, page 5
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Swan: ‘I think it’s good for every veteran to belong to at least one of the organizations’ After a furlough, Swan was reassigned to a base friend today and see a in California where he body taken away tomorserved as an instructor for row. The biggest heroes use of radio equipment, are the ones who don’t get power equipment and back.” combat driving. Swan said he was not inHe was discharged from jured during the war, but the Army May 14, 1952. then amended the statement to say he received Still serving a flesh wound, but not a Purple Heart. Swan is very active in “It didn’t matter to me,” Mason County’s veterans he said. groups. He serves as chapSwan was finally relain for American Legion placed and brought back Post 76 and AMVETS Post to America. 82. He also belongs to the “Johnny Jacobs from 40 & 8, the Mason County Oklahoma and I were the Allied Veterans Council, last to leave the unit,” the VFW and the Veterans Swan said, adding that it Trust Fund board. had been two years since “I think it’s good for evhe had left America. from page 4
ery veteran to belong to at least one of the organizations, if not more,” he said. “They’ll find out a lot more about health and about how you can find services. There are a lot of guys who need help. A lot of people don’t take advantage of things because they don’t know about them. “They’re all good organizations and they all do a lot,” he said about the local veterans groups. Swan said it can be hard for a soldier to come home to civilian life and said it is easier for veterans to talk to someone else who has been in the service.
We are grateful to the men and women who served in Vietnam and in all wars fought for our country.
“And if you’re going to be in (a veterans’ organization), you might as well be active,” he said. “And once you get started it’s hard to get out.”
‘They’re all good
organizations and they all do a lot.’ Bill Swan
kevinb@ludingtondailynews.com
Saluting thoSe Who Were there Stan Bennette Associate Broker
5492 W. US 10, Ludington
(231) 690-1190
sdbennette@greenridge.com
Former Marine Vietnam Vet
PROUDLY SERVING AND REMEMBERING THOSE WHO SERVED
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A unique experience in WWII By Brian Mulherin Daily News Staff Writer
T
edd Smith, 97, of Ludington, had a unique experience in World War II. The names in the history books might just be historic figures to many people, but to Smith, they were people he met and sometimes interacted with. His time in the Army let him cross paths with General George S. Patton, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Bob Hope, Eleanor Roosevelt and Al Jolson. Smith, who moved to Ludington in 1959, ran the Beauty Bar until 1982. He went to cosmetology school in his hometown of Flint and was working in a beauty shop when he was drafted into the Army. “When I went in, I was drafted, they sent us out to Washington (state) and it was raining and I was carrying a rifle through the mud and I thought, ‘To hell with this, I’m going to get something else,’” Smith said. His sergeant said there was an opening in the medical corps and the first one to sign up got it — Smith made sure he was the first to sign up. “I had to go to school and learn about mosquito bites,” Smith said. Then another sergeant asked him if he could type, and he could, so he was made the company
these men. ‘Now,’ he says, ‘Look at the son of a bitch next to you, that’s the last time you’re going to see him.’ “He was a good general, he got what he wanted, Tedd Smith but you feared him just the same.” Smith also met British Prime Minister Winston Churchill as well as Britmandy, you’ve been such ish Field Marshal Bernard a good clerk. I think I can Montgomery. get you another job so you don’t have to go.’” Celebrities But there was a trick to Being in Rome, Smith it. Smith had to buddy up got to meet a lot of the with an officer’s wife. celebrities coming over to He impressed her enough that he was made entertain the troops. “Martha Rae was the a courier to the Vatican. Smith said while talking comedian, the first one with that officer’s wife, he we saw. She sang from Poliaci,” Smith said. “I was introduced to Eleanor Roosevelt, who asked remember she said, ‘For you sitting on the ground him what unit he was in. “She said, ‘You’re doing I wore black pants.’” Smith said they also a good job, thank you.’” His brushes with celeb- saw Al Jolson — without makeup — and met Bob rities and top brass also Hope. included being told, “At “Just a meeting, a handease, soldier,” by General shake and that was it,” Eisenhower, whom he Smith said. described as very softHe got to meet Hope’s spoken. He remembered that the first thing he no- wife and talk with her a little, too. ticed about Eisenhower And although he saw were his “beautiful, shiny the Pope at appearances, boots.” he never had an audience. He also met General Smith also saw, but did Patton. not meet, Italian Prime “Old blood and guts,” helping with the woundMinister Benito MussoSmith said. “I remember ed, particularly after lini. the first time I ever met bombings and artillery “I saw Mussolini hanghim. He come in in a Jeep attacks. He was in five ing on a fence and people with no roof on it, one battles in Germany, but would spit on him as they hand on the glass on the did not go on the invawalked by,” Smith said. top, a crop in his hand, sion of France. “The major says to me, shiny stars on his head. See Smith, page 7 “He gets in front of all ‘Tedd, we’re going to Nor-
‘I left the troop ship with a bag of
morphine and a typewriter.’
Tedd Smith laughs as he shares his stories from WWII.
clerk of a medic unit. His unit supported the troops chasing German General Erwin Rommel across the desert in Africa. Smith noted that he never fired his rifle. “I never fired it once,” Smith said. “I hated it so.”
While other soldiers might travel with just their rifles, Smith had a little more luggage. “I left the troop ship with a bag of morphine and a typewriter,” Smith said. Smith had grim duty
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Smith: ‘It’s been a nice full life, I’ve had good and bad’ From page 6
“He did a lot of good for Italy — beautiful swimming pools and statutes.”
Italy Smith said Rome has always held a special place in his heart. “Life was beautiful there,” Smith said. He said he lived in an apartment with six other GIs and each had a different job. He was a courier and the others all had their own jobs. “We had a cook and a man that took care of the cleaning,” Smith said. “That was nice. I stayed there until we chased the Germans out in 1944 and I came home in ’45. That rounded out the four years, but I didn’t have to carry a rifle after a while.” Smith said his major had a Lancha that he liked to drive. He said that they would go for lunch and eat boiled eggs that were offered on a platter. Smith said they had dances with Italian women, but there was no leaving the dance hall with a date. “On Saturday nights they’d bring Italian girls to dance but they’d put two guards by the door and that’s as far as you could take the girls,” Smith said. Smith said he’s always been a good dancer. “I was on the ballroom floor when I was 13 and
‘That was nice. I stayed there until we chased the Germans out in 1944 and I came home in ‘45. That rounded out the four years, but I didn’t have to carry a rifle after a while.’ Tedd Smith about Rome “The food, you can’t beat it, because it’s heavy on garlic, I’ll tell you,” Smith said. Smith said the best Tedd Smith holds up a photo of himself from when he was serv- part about Rome is that ing in WWII. it was never touched by the war. I could dance my fool ers and children would “I think it was 15 miles head off,” Smith said. buy them and take them out that the Germans He smiles when he home to their mothers,” didn’t do any bombing,” talks about his years in Smith said. Smith said. Rome. Smith said everyone “It was nice,” Smith took photos of them tryPost-war years said. “There were some ing to hold up the Leanbeautiful times. Flowers ing Tower of Pisa. Smith said he was hapand the Piazza di Spagna “There’s a fountain py when the war ended, — 104 steps to the top where you leave money, but he did go back to to see a restaurant. You meaning, ‘I’ll return,’” Italy. have to sit down once in Smith said. When he moved to Maa while, I’ll tell you. The sights were worth son County and opened “On Saturday mornremembering, but the his own shop, he enjoyed ings it would be lined up food was pretty good, going to Idlewild for with women selling flow- too. dancing and entertain-
ment. “That’s where I saw Della Reese,” Smith said. “We rubbed hind-ends together on the dance floor. She was so good looking, that skin was just that pretty brown and I can see her with an orange dress on — oh, she looked just elegant.” Smith said he remembered the men had Cadillacs even if they had to share the costs and only drive them on their allotted days of the week. The men all had diamond stick pins in their ties. “They’d put the black light on and everybody looked tan, teeth were snow white — it was just a good life,” Smith said.
Smith retired from his hair salon in 1982. In recent years, he has resided in Oakview Medical Care Facility and is kind of an adopted grandparent to the Greenslait family. “They took me under their wing,” Smith said. He has a room not far from the birdcage and enjoys crocheting Afghans for friends and charities. “It’s been a nice full life, I’ve had good and bad,” Smith said. “It’s just one of those things. Age has never bothered me like it does some people.” bmulherin@ludingtondailynews.com
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Helping fellow wounded warriors By Melissa Keefer Daily News Staff Writer
T
he Wounded Warrior Project was started in 2003 by delivering backpacks to the bedsides of severely wounded warriors returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan. It has turned into one of the largest veteran organizations in the country. Ludington High School grad and Army veteran Andrew Coughlan has been working with the organization for three and
‘... The continued support, experiences and resources I have received from WWP saved my life.’
1st Sgt. Michel was one of Andrew’s drill sergeants in basic training and he is now a first sergeant at Ft. Stewart, Georgia. Andrew is now helping him with his transition to civilian life.
and WWP helped him so he was calling me to tell Andrew Coughlan me about the programs,” Couglhan said. “At first I said it wasn’t for me a half years as alumni because I wasn’t missing manager in Jacksonville, any limbs, burned or in Florida, helping fellow a wheelchair, I was just wounded warriors every dealing with PTSD. He day. told me that PTSD is my Coughlan graduated injury. From there the opfrom LHS in 2002 and portunities that were proserved in Iraq from Sepvided for me and my famtember 2003 through ily were lifesaving. There September 2004. His first were many times I wanted exposure to the Wounded to take my own life beWarrior Project was while cause I couldn’t deal with he was in a Post Traumat- the guilt I had from Iraq. I ic Stress Disorder inpastill struggle with PTSD to tient program in the Battle this day and WWP is still Creek VA Hospital. there to help me and my “I received a phone family.” call from my friend that He said the first opporI served with in Iraq. He tunity WWP gave him was was severely wounded in 2007 when he was an
Wounded Warrior Project More information about Wounded Warrior Project and how to receive help or donate to the organization, is available at www.woundedwarriorproject.org. WWP can be reached toll free at 877-TEAM-WWP (8326997) or Wounded Warrior Project, 4899 Belfort Road, Suite 300, Jacksonville, FL 32256.
A friend Andrew served with in Iraq was wounded July 19, 2004 and exactly eight years later, was presented his Purple Heart live on “Fox and Friends.” Andrew is in the background, having been there to read the citation and orders.
with other Iraq veterans is what made it what it was. The continued support, experiences and resources I have received from WWP saved my life.” Coughlan said, “Being able to continue to serve my brothers and sisters is a unique experience.” He has been able to, through WWP, help local warriors as well as warhonorary captain for the riors from all over the University of Michigan country. football team when Michi“May 20, 2012 I received gan played Eastern Michi- a phone call from Eric gan University. Lund’s family saying he “The experience alone was wounded. It really was great,” Coughlan said. hit me,” Coughlan said. “I “But spending the day knew a few details about
his injury at the time of the phone call, but WWP has staff in Germany at the hospital and as soon as the family was notified, I was notified.” He said he was able to travel to San Antonio, Texas, to BAMC to visit Eric and meet with his family. “Making sure that Eric and his family were taken care of wasn’t a priority for me because I knew our Germany and San Antonio teams were already doing that. I was able to spend time with his family and answer some questions they had and just provided comfort to them,”
Coughlan said. In addition to Lund, Coughlan was happy to be able to get Ken Weinert involved with WWP. “Ken was wounded in Iraq in 2004 while I was deployed.” Coughlan said working for WWP is special, even when he is helping people he doesn’t know, “There are over 55,000 WWP alumni that are engaged with our programs and many of these guys I never knew before, but being able to provide a service to them and making sure they are good to go is an honor.” Coughlan has had a lot of great and memorable experiences with WWP and said, “The thing I have a lot of pride in knowing is when I lay my head down at night that I impacted someone’s life. There have been many suicide calls that I have taken, and being able to provide that help to warriors or the homeless warriors who seek help and being able to get them off the streets will always be my most memorable moments.” As far as looking forward, Coughlan just says he plans on being at WWP for the long haul. “This organization saved my life and there is nothing I can do to repay WWP besides to do that for the warriors that have come after me,” Coughlan said. See wounded warriors, page 10
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wounded warriors: Program helps veterans with various struggles riors that are living with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in an outdoor More about WWP retreat environment. • “The body pillar is The Wounded Warrior focusing on the physiProject offers programs cal health and wellness to any Wounded Warof the warriors and their rior who was injured or family members, everybecame ill on or after thing from getting warSeptember 11, 2001 while riors active again (cyon active duty. All of the cling, running, kayaking, programs and services rock climbing, triathlons, WWP offers are free and yoga, cross fit, scuba divinclude a wide variing, horseback riding, ety, from helping avoid inclusive team sports) to homelessness and offereducating them on nutriAndrew Coughlan, middle, is pictured with fellow local veterans/ ing financial assistance. wounded warriors, Eric Lund, left, and Andrew Weinert. tion and living a healthy Coughlan explained lifestyle. • “The mind pillar will WWP offers 20 programs four pillars (mind, body, • “The economic emeconomic empowerment cover all of our combat to post 9/11 wounded powerment pillar is goand engagement). stress programs to inwarriors and their faming to focus on guiding Coughlan gives exclude Project Odyssey, ily members — all of the through their education which is a week-long proprograms offered nation- amples of some of the and then helping them programs offered in each gram event that will chalwide. find a career, whether lenge and empower warpillar: The programs fall into from page 9
Veterans
that’s a traditional college or trade school. We also have the only yearlong vocational rehabilitation program in the country that is for wounded warriors, it’s called TRACK. This is a yearlong program that warriors will relocate to Jacksonville, Florida, or San Antonio, Texas, and complete two full academic semesters and then have an externship with a local company. They will complete this program with other warriors in a cohort. This program is designed for warriors who either are struggling in college or just haven’t been to school yet. We also have warriors to work pro-
gram that will help warriors and family members through the whole process of employment from the very beginning of writing a resume. • “The engagement pillar provides all kinds of opportunities (hunting, fishing, sporting events, dinners, family days, water parks, concerts.) The continued engagement with warriors has been key in a lot of their recoveries and transitions. “WWP just celebrated 10 years and is looking forward to many more, serving the current generation of warriors.” More information about Wounded Warrior Project is available at www. woundedwarriorproject.org, 877-TEAMWWP (832-6997).
To our men and women in uniform:
From the bottom of our hearts
THANK YOU FOR YOUR COURAGE
ABRAHAMSON’S TOWING Mason County’s Finest Local & Long Distance Towing 925 E. Melendy Street, Ludington
(231) 843-2990
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Local organizations for veterans The Mason County Allied Veterans Council is an umbrella organization that includes the American Legion, VFW posts in Ludington and Custer and the Amvets. Pat Lange is the commander of the council and also historian at the Ludington American Legion. Each organization serves veterans in a different way and membership requirements differ as well. All of them were founded to help returning veterans find companionship and aid in finding resources for the veterans and their families. • American Legion - Edwin H. Ewing Post 76, founded in 1919, was named after a WWI veteran. The Legion, located at 318 N. James Street, is open to members and guests for social events and meetings throughout the month. Several special groups are part of the Legion, including the Auxiliary, Sons of the American Legion, Legion Riders and the Honor Guard and Color Guard. Sons of the Legion is for those who are not veterans but have a parent or grandparent who is a veteran. The Legion Riders have a special interest in motorcycles. The Honor Guard takes part in funerals and remembrances for deceased veterans and the Color Guard has taken part in ceremonies at football games, Memorial Day and Veterans Day activities. Both are composed of the same men and women, but serve different functions. They are all volunteers for this special group. In addition the Legion offers members the opportunity to consult with a VA officer on Wednesdays, and with the post service officer to learn about the availability of benefits. Various social events take place each week including dinners and
Veterans Endowment Fund
dances. Any service man or woman currently on active duty is welcome at the post as well as those who are part of the local Coast Guard station. Membership is open to those who served in any branch of the armed services during specific years. The Post Commander is Lou Wolven. For information on how to join, contact Pat Lange, (231) 794-7847 or Lou Wolven, 843-2718. “We are looking for more vets to join,” said Lange. He said it is important for returning service men and women to be able to “sit down and talk to a fellow brother or sister. Sometimes they hold stuff in and this is a chance for them to open up.” He mentioned the opportunity the traveling Vietnam wall offered for veterans to get together and finally talk about their wartime experiences. • Veterans of Foreign Wars - Delbert E. Brimmer VFW Post 6842 started in Ludington in 1987. As the name indicates, members have served in wars around the globe. Veterans must have had “boots on the ground” said Pat Lange. Those who were in the armed services during war-
time but were not in combat zones are not eligible to join, but may join the Amvets or American Legion. Meetings are held monthly at the American Legion. To join or for information call Commander Stan McCullen, 845-8587. • Custer VFW Gold Bar Post has its own clubhouse in Custer on Route 10. Membership requirements are the same as those for the Ludington post. Social events open to the public such as steak dinners and Thursday night dances are fundraisers for the post. In addition there is an auxiliary for those who have a parent or grandparent who was a veteran. For information call Commander Jeff Peters, 757-9665. • Amvets - The name stands for American Veterans and was founded after WWII and chartered by Congress in 1947. William Charette Post 82 was founded locally in 1982 and named after the local Navy Medal of Honor winner. Unlike the American Legion or VFW, membership is open to any honorably discharged veteran who served from WWII to the present in any branch including National Guard. Meetings are held at the
In 2009 Budde Reed and Rick Plummer, both Vietnam veterans, established the Veterans Endowment Fund, which is administered through the Community Foundation. Since then Michelle Hemmer and Gary Ferguson have also become board members. According to Hemmer, the fund helps veterans and their families who have “fallen through the cracks” and have been unable to obtain help through other agencies. Funds are available American Legion. For infor- for emergency needs to Mamation contact Commander son County veterans “fastLou Wolven, 843-2718. er and with less red tape” than through some other sources said Hemmer. Mon-
ey for the fund is raised primarily through donations, but two recent events. the Lake Jump and the traveling Vietnam wall, have also helped to increase the endowment. Each year the Lake Jump chooses a charity or group to receive the pledges and this year it was the Veterans Endowment Fund. Hemmer said there was money left after meeting all the costs of the wall and that money was also given to the endowment fund. If you wish to donate, or if you are a veteran in need of help, contact Michelle Hemmer, (231) 690-5845 or Rick Plummer, (231) 852-0685 or email michelle.hemmer@ gmail.com or RJPlummer@ westshore.edu
America’s strength protects her greatness. There are no greater people than the veterans who gave their all.
LARSON'S SELF STORAGE Office: 263 N. Jebavy Dr., Ludington
7242
845-
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One wall touched so many
Jeff Kiessel | Daily News photos
Lance Christensen, a Vietnam veteran, reaches out to the wall as he cries — an emotion many had during the time the traveling Vietnam Wall was in Ludington.
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100 years after WWI, poppy lives on By SYLVIA HUI Associated Press
LONDON (AP) — William Sellick pinched the tiny scarlet petals with deft ease, turning them into paper poppies and pressing them into a wreath. The flowers are a potent symbol of remembrance and patriotism that sprang up in the aftermath of World War I to honor the war dead and raise funds for survivors. A century since the Great War, the poppies live on: They are hung as wreaths or worn on lapels across Britain — from Prime Minister David Cameron to XFactor celebrities to countless commuters braving the blustery streets of London — as the nation prepares to mark Armistice Day on Nov. 11. Each handmade flower evokes the image of poppies springing up from destruction and decay in Belgium’s Flanders Fields, home to many of the Great War’s bloodiest battlefields. The haunting scene was immortalized in a war poem by Canadian army doctor John McCrae: “In Flanders fields the poppies blow/Between the crosses row on row.” McCrae noticed that the resilient red corn poppy was the first plant to flourish in the churned-up landscape. The poem, penned in 1915 shortly after McCrae buried a friend, struck a chord around the world and started poppy symbolism in the English-speaking world. For Sellick, who suffered combat stress after an army tour to Northern Ireland in the 1970s, making poppies is a way to move on from a life shadowed by depression and
A red poppy wreath with an engraving of a World War I soldier is left at the Menin Gate in Ypres, Belgium. The challenge for veteran’s groups is to keep the poppy relevant and meaningful to a new generation now that there are no survivors left of the Great War.
AP photos
memorials up and down the
In this photo taken on Saturday, May 3, 2014, wooden remembrance crosses with poppies are placed in front of country and are sold on virtuthe headstone of 15-year old World War I soldier Valentine Strudwick at Essex Farm Commonwealth Cemetery in ally every street corner. Ypres, Belgium.
alcoholism. He doesn’t like to recall his army days, but every November he makes an effort to help plant crosses decorated with poppies outside London’s Westminster Abbey. “Most of the time when we go out to plant the poppy field it’s wet and windy,” he said with a laugh. “But I always make sure I do the plot for my regiment.” In this centenary year of World War I, the poppy is more ubiquitous than ever. At the Tower of London, a crimson sea of ceramic poppies floods the ancient moat in a stunning display titled “Blood Swept Lands and Sea of Red.” A total of 888,426 ceramic flowers — each representing a British soldier who died during the war — were planted over the summer, with the last one to be placed
on Armistice Day. Although the poppy is most commonly worn today in Britain and Commonwealth countries like Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, it was a woman from the U.S. state of Georgia who was responsible for turning it into a symbol of the Great War. Moina Michael, a teacher, was so moved by McCrae’s poem that she vowed always to wear a poppy as a way to “keep the faith with all who died.” Michael started to give poppies to ex-servicemen in New York, where she worked, and the American Legion adopted her idea of selling handmade poppies to raise money for wounded ex-servicemen in 1918. A Frenchwoman soon brought the practice to Britain,
where the Royal British Legion began the tradition of a “Poppy Appeal” to help those returning from the war. The British Army major credited with opening the first factory employing wounded vets as poppy makers had his doubts early on. “I do not think it can be a great success but it is worth trying,” George Howson wrote in a letter to his parents in 1922. To this day, the factory in west London’s Richmond makes the bulk of the 45 million poppies, wreaths and crosses sold across Britain. Full-time workers like Sellick assemble each by hand year round, though most of the poppies don’t appear until late October, when they adorn war
Many of the wreaths are featured on Remembrance Sunday, the second Sunday in November, when Queen Elizabeth II leads an annual tribute at London’s Cenotaph to all those who died in World War I and later conflicts. As time passes, veterans’ groups face the challenge to keep the poppy — and the memories it stands for — relevant and meaningful to a new generation. Ann Butler, a teacher, was among the many parents who brought their children to see the poppies at the Tower of London. “They know some of my relatives were in the war. For them to see this, to know that each See poppy, page 13
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Poppy: Some torn on the tradition of the symbol from page 12
flower represents someone who died, makes it all more real,” she said. “As the generations go on, there will inevitably be less of a connection.” There are also those in Britain who avoid the tradition, saying the poppy has become too politicized and nationalistic, or even a symbol that glorifies war. Margaret MacMillan, a historian at Oxford University, said she once reluctantly pinned a poppy when appearing on television because producers insisted she do so. “There is tremendous pressure for people to wear them,” she said. “Symbols can be useful but you need much more. There’s more to memory than popping it on once a year and forgetting about it.” Outside of London’s Westminster Abbey, dense rows of little wooden crosses bearing paper poppies are planted in the grass every November to remember the lives lost in WWI, as well as more recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Your Freedom has been paid for by everyone who is or ever wore a uniform
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Ludington daily newS/VETERANS TAB
| MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2014
“Freedom Is Not Free” Let us never forget the patriotism and courage of those who sacrificed everything for the sake of the country they so dearly loved. It is an honor to recognize the heroism and service of these great American heroes. They have forever earned a place in the heart of our grateful nation.
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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2014
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Land of the free Because of the brave.
We proudly honor and remember those who served in the U.S. Armed Forces and the great sacrifices they made during the Vietnam War.
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Ludington daily newS/VETERANS TAB
| MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2014
America’s Veterans: Standing Tall for Freedom
We proudly salute America’s veterans and active-duty military for their drive and dedication, contributions and courage. Their commitment to our country and our freedom has protected us for generations, and we owe them a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid. This Veterans Day, please join us in honoring the brave men and women of our Armed Forces who have fought, sacrificed and served their country with pride.
We thank you, veterans and soldiers.
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