USAA’s Poppy Wall of Honor is a temporary exhibit that features more than 600,000 poppies, each representing the military members lost in service to our country since World War I. (Gianna Gronowski/Stars and Stripes)
WASHINGTON — The Poppy Wall of Honor, a sea of more than 600,000 bright red flowers representing military members lost since World War I, has returned to the National Mall for Memorial Day weekend.
The dramatic display of blossoms, backlit for effect, is encased in a translucent wall that is 9 feet tall and extends 134 feet.
The reverse side of the display contains panels that provide a narrative of major conflicts the U.S. has engaged in from World War I through the Global War on Terror.
This is the seventh year that the temporary exhibit will be on display at the National Mall, at the base of the Lincoln Memorial. For more information, go to usaa.com/memorialday.
Red poppies have been used as a symbol to commemorate fallen service members since the publication of a World War I-era poem titled “In Flanders Fields,” a reference to a battlefield in Belgium.
The poem, by Lt. Col. John McCrae, describes red poppies growing on the graves of fallen soldiers as a way to encourage comrades to continue the fight.
McCrae, a Canadian physician, served as a field officer on the Western Front. He wrote the poem after losing a friend in battle.
The 15-line poem begins:
“In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky,
The larks still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.”
The installation is just one of several tributes taking place at the National Mall and memorial parks in D.C.
For a comprehensive list and schedule of live events, visit a special web page set up by the National Park Service.
Sharri Briley and Donovan Lee “Bull” Briley are pictured in 1984 at his graduation from flight school. Briley was co-pilot of a Black Hawk Army helicopter shot down in Somalia in 1993. (Briley family)
The House adopted bills Thursday that aim to help veterans retain their gun rights and provide more assistance to veterans with catastrophic injuries and their families.
The Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act would increase the Department of Veterans Affairs monthly benefit for severely disabled veterans and the surviving families of 100% disabled or deceased veterans.
The legislation heads to the Senate, after it passed the House by a vote of 235-179.
It is named for Sharri Briley, whose husband, Army Chief Warrant Officer Donovan “Bull” Briley, was killed in action.
Eric Edmundson is shown during military training in the western U.S. before deploying to Iraq. In 2005, Edmundson was critically wounded in a roadside bomb attack. (Edmundson family)
Eric Edmundson is an Iraq War veteran whose combat injuries left him with permanent disabilities and in need of round-the-clock care.
The House also adopted the Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act, by a vote of 216-201. The bill also moves to the Senate for debate and a vote.
The bill would stop the VA from continuing a long-running practice of removing the gun rights of veterans when the agency assigns them a fiduciary to manage their benefits.
The agency would have to obtain a court order and prove the veteran poses a danger to self or others.
“As our nation observes Memorial Day next week, it was a privilege to pass two vitally important veterans’ bills out of the House this week. The 1 percent — the men and women who raise their right hand to defend life and liberty for Americans they will never know — are who both these bills are for,” said Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., who led both bills and is chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
The American Legion has published the findings of a survey showing that three-quarters of veterans polled said their connection to a faith community helped them overcome loneliness after their military service.
The survey of 6,796 American Legion members was conducted by pray.com in partnership with the American Legion.
The results also showed that a majority of veterans saw their faith as a way to make social connections.
“In a population at elevated risk of isolation, those numbers carry significant weight,” the American Legion said, when it released the findings.
Nearly 95% of veterans surveyed reported having faith or spiritual connections, according to the findings.
About three-quarters of respondents said that having faith significantly boosts their mental health.
Brendan Jones, of Virginia, is an Army veteran who rescued a dog he named Lucy, in 2015, while serving in the Middle East. He brought Lucy home to the U.S., where she has lived on the family farm. (Brendan Jones family/GiveSendGo)
An online fund called #SaveLucy has been set up to help an Army veteran in Virginia retrieve his 11-year-old “deployment dog,” Lucy, who was taken by local authorities following a dispute with a neighbor.
Brendan Jones, who rescued Lucy in 2015 while serving in the Middle East, said the dog was taken from his family’s farm in Strasburg, Va., and is being kept in a kennel pending a decision on whether she can return home.
According to Jones, his family has had multiple run-ins with a neighbor who complained about Lucy.
The dog had slipped out of her collar during a morning walk and barked at the neighbor, who called animal control.
Jones claims the dog never left his property and posed no risk.
Lucy previously was reported in 2025 for nipping at a jogger, though no one was hurt in the incident, Jones said.
Lucy’s fate is unknown, said Jones, who is trying to raise funds for a lawyer. The fund drive is at https://www.givesendgo.com/save-lucy.
“We’re hoping that her life is book-ended by miracles,” Jones said on Fox News. “One to get her here, to save her from the Islamic State, and one to get her out of the hands of our own state.”
Veterans seeking benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs can jeopardize their claims status by missing deadlines for securing their benefits, DisabledVeterans.org warns.
The advocacy group, launched by a disabled veteran, said missing critical deadlines can contribute to delayed decisions, denials and interruptions during the process to secure disability, education and other benefits.
“Inside the VA system, timing matters,” said Benjamin Krause, founder of DisabledVeterans.org.
For example, there are deadlines for compensation and pension exams, sending medical documentation about injuries and illnesses, and obtaining a higher level review after an error or denial.
Krause advises veterans to keep their VA appointments, regularly check their claims status at VA.gov, immediately read VA correspondence and respond to requests as soon as they are made.
