As a child, I recall people buying little red poppies and I wondered what significance they held to those who sold them. I was attracted to them because they were red, my favorite color, and the people who sold them were so friendly.

I purchased several, storing them away in a wooden box where I kept special items I cherished. I still have two of them in that delicate box I salvaged from my childhood.

Now, as the wife of a war veteran, and a new member of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Veterans of Foreign Wars [VFW] I am learning to appreciate the importance of the small red poppy. Little did I know or appreciate the magnitude of respect and love the Buddy Poppy represents.

The Buddy Poppy has been an important symbol for the VFW since 1922, a representation of the blood shed by all the American military. Inspired by the poem, “In Flanders Fields,” written by John McCrae, the poppies are handmade by disabled veterans and a symbol of pride and honor.

For the VFW, the poppies are a representation of the motto to “Honor the Dead by Helping the Living.” The Ladies Auxiliary of each post contributes by purchasing the Buddy Poppies and using them in decorations, distribution to the public and in national promotions and competitions.

The Ladies Auxiliary of Glenn I. Jeffers VFW Post 10624, located in Mt. Pleasant,  contains a variety of multi-talented ladies who construct beauty and pride while working with the buddy poppy. At a recent convention in Myrtle Beach, the Ladies Auxiliary received accolades by submitting a large Valentine Heart with Cupid as the winning entry for the Buddy Poppy competition. Exquisitely laced together in a perfect Valentine heart that would make Hallmark envious, the winning submission represents the love, dedication and passion the Ladies Auxiliary has instilled in their membership and the VFW lodge.

This is the second time the Ladies Auxiliary won first prize and for the members of the VFW Post 10624, the winning entry exemplifies the tightly bonded group who refer to themselves as family members, not simply a group of ladies auxiliary members or VFW members.

“We are family,” Anne Bond said to me when I joined.

Now that I am a member, I recognize my husband, a Vietnam veteran, and I have found a new home and family at Glenn J. Jeffers VFW Post 10624.

Beaming with pride after winning first place – Glenn L. Jeffers Ladies Auxiliary, Mt Pleasant, –

 Barbie Perkins-Cooper, Editorial Photojournalist

Barbie Perkins-Cooper is a new member of Glenn L. Jeffers VFW Post Ladies Auxiliary. She is a travel writer, photojournalist specializing in hospitality, food and wine and photography. Residing in Mt. Pleasant, Barbie is the author of Career Diary of a Photographer, scheduled for publication in the fall 2008. In September 2007, she was chosen as an approved artist for literary arts with the SC Arts Commission Arts in Education Roster of Approved Artists. Professional organizations include International Food and Wine and Travel Writers Association [IFWTWA] and South Carolina Writers Workshop [SCWW]. Visit her Web site for further information and writing clips, www.barbieperkinscooper.com.