Madison West, popular Tehachapi High School Junior and the 2015 Delegate to Girls State, was on hand to present the first poppy of the year to Father Wes Clare, Head Chaplain for the California Army National Guard and Rector at St. Judes in the Mountains Anglican Church in Tehachapi. Father Wes was chosen this year for his dedication to all veterans and especially to our local veterans, with his rehabilitative and therapeutic projects.

The date for presenting the poppies to the public will be May 10 through 17. For ninety-four years the ALA has sponsored "Poppy Days" nationwide to remind America of the men and women in the Military, living and dead, who have served their country. The red crepe paper poppy, handmade by the veterans themselves, was officially adopted in 1921 as the memorial flower of the American Legion and the Auxiliary. It was inspired by the red poppies which once grew on the battlefields of Flanders and is a perpetual memorial to the brave men who fought there and on all other battlefields throughout the years.

It is fitting and proper that the citizenry pay tribute to our nations' honored dead as well as those who have served in the Military and who are presently on active duty in the service of our country. The American Legion and the Auxiliary are very grateful for the community support that has always been extended to them each year the poppies are offered.