Virtual Poppy Wall of Honor returns for Memorial Day weekend

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - Blooming from battlefield, the poppy became a national symbol during World War I.

Deeply moved by the loss he witnessed, Canadian doctor Lt. Col. John McCrae penned the poem “In Flanders Fields” to honor his fallen comrades.

“It dates back to its origins in 1915,” said U.S. Army veteran and USAA vice president Eric Engquist. “In the war-scored fields, the poppies began blooming.”

Since, synthetic poppies have been distributed by the American Legion to recognize the lives lost in conflict.

This Memorial Day weekend, as locals and tourists visit Washington, D.C. to honor those lives lost, USAA is leading a more accessible tribute to our fallen heroes: a virtual Poppy Wall of Honor.

Previously, the agency presented a pop-up Poppy Wall of Honor on the National Mall. It contained more than 645,000 artificial poppies. The red flowers filled one side, and historic facts about U.S conflicts filled the other.

The exhibit was installed over the Memorial Day weekend in 2018 and 2019. This is the second consecutive year USAA has sponsored a virtual poppy wall experience instead, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The website offers information about the losses suffered in historic military conflict and why the poppy has become a symbol of remembrance.

It features arts and crafts for children about how to make poppies at home, as well as a section that offers smartphone wallpapers and Zoom backgrounds.

You can also learn how to dedicate a poppy using the Snapchat messaging app.

Engquist says USAA aims to install the physical wall in Washington again next year.