It’s a common sight from the last Friday in October until Nov. 11th: A perfectly pinned red poppy that holds a very big message.
“Every veteran remembers what they did,” said Paul Dupuis, a current service officer for Branch 6 Legion with 49 years of service. “You don’t talk about it, but it’s there.”
The poppy is a symbol of sacrifice and remembrance and the sale of the small flowers also make a big impact.
“It goes directly to support veterans and their needs, and there’s many different things,” said Branch 6 Legion President Robert Dupuis. “We have homeless veterans that we have to help, we have many seniors that were veterans where it’s that time of year where it gets cold… heat, groceries, medicine, sometimes they come short.”
The money raised from the annual campaign is completely separate from Legion funding. All of the donations go back to veterans.
“I deal with a lot of homeless vets, along with the president, get them off the street. I dealt with alcohol, I have PTSD, so I can talk to these people. I try to get them into rehab, AA is a fantastic program,” Paul said. “That’s where the poppy fund goes. That’s where the money is. It pays the gasoline for me, for the service officers. A lot of these people are from small communities. They don’t want anybody to know, they’re very proud, so I go to their homes and I spend about two hours every time I go.”
Regardless of what they need, the poppy fund makes help possible.
“With the military deployed to war, like in Afghanistan, people also think about military that are deployed on things like Fiona,” said Al Johnston with the poppy campaign. “When we have a natural disaster somewhere in Canada, be it in Winnipeg with the flooding that seems to happen every year, or the hurricanes that are hitting us, and the ice storms in Quebec… it goes on and on and on. They’re very busy and I guess it’s a way that some people show their appreciation for what the military does and what the veterans have done in the past.”
Although the mission is always the same, this year, the annual campaign has introduced something new --- biodegradable poppies, wreaths and crosses.
“They look the same but they feel a little bit different, but as far as the poppy goes, it’s still the same,” said Robert.
Throughout the city, Johnston says there are between 15 and 18 volunteers out with poppy boxes and Service Cadets helping out on weekends.
“People, especially in today’s economy, they’ll go to one store and do most of their shopping so they’re not wasting gas driving around, and we try to cover all of the stores in our area that are the most busy,” he said. “The other ones that we don’t have people, we have boxes and trays and they’ll be dropped off and left usually with a cashier or at the service desk.”
Also new this year, people can scan their poppy to bring up a personal story of a Canadian veteran. It’s another reminder of the ultimate sacrifice.
“We learned from an early age, that you never forgot the freedom we gained and the price that was paid and that’s why Remembrance Day, we honour them,” said Paul.
The Canadian Legion Branch 6 is holding its main ceremony at the Moncton Coliseum on Nov. 11th.
“I would urge all to come out,” said Robert. “But the veterans that are still healthy, why don’t you come and march with us?”
