"Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw the torch; be yours to hold it high."
— JOHN MCCRAE, IN FLANDERS FIELDS -
· WE REMEMBER · WE HONOR · WE WILL NEVER FORGET · GEORGETOWN, TEXAS · FLANDERS FIELDS · THE RED POPPY · ALL WHO SERVED · ALL WHO FELL ·
Red Poppy Significance
Georgetown, TX red poppies typically bloom mid to late March through mid to late April.
September through November is the best time to plant the red poppy seeds for blooming in the Spring. Poppies grow best in direct sunlight. To plant the seeds, sprinkle the seeds in the desired area, then water. The plants will grow about two to three inches by December.
The Red Poppy flower has become an integral part of Georgetown history. A young soldier sent home seeds from Flanders’ Fields during WWI and the Red Poppies began to grow wild across Georgetown for many years. Although the flowers no longer grow wild as they once did, the citizens of Georgetown have worked diligently to preserve the City’s history and beauty by cultivating these wonderful Red Poppy flowers in locations across town, especially in Georgetown’s Historic Old Town!
In Flanders Fields
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.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders Fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders Fields.
-John McCrae
About This Site
"Lest We Forget" exists as a solemn promise: that those who gave everything in service to our nation will not be forgotten, and that their sacrifice will continue to speak to future generations.
Our Purpose
This site is a rallying point—a place where veterans, families, and communities can ensure that the memory of service and sacrifice remains alive, visible, and honored.
A Soldier's Perspective
When you serve, you carry something heavy that most will never fully understand. You carry the weight of watching friends fall. You carry the burden of decisions made in impossible moments. You carry the faces of those who didn't make it home.
And you carry one unspoken hope: that it meant something. That their names won't fade. That the ground they're buried in—whether Flanders Fields, Arlington, or a small town cemetery—won't be forgotten once the ceremonies end and the crowds go home.
This site exists because of that hope!
A Call to All Veterans
To every veteran reading this—Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, across every generation and every conflict—this is your space too. Georgetown's red poppies tell one soldier's story, but they represent all of ours. Every seed planted is a refusal to let memory die. Every bloom is proof that sacrifice echoes beyond the battlefield.
We ask you to:
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Share your story — Your service matters. Your lost brothers and sisters matter. Their names deserve to be spoken.
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Teach the next generation — Plant seeds with your children, your grandchildren, your neighbors. Tell them why it matters.
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Stand with us — Whether you're in Georgetown or across the country, join us in saying: We will not forget. We will not let their sacrifice become a footnote. We will hold the torch high.
The Promise We Keep
McCrae's poem ends with a charge: "If ye break faith with us who die, we shall not sleep, though poppies grow in Flanders Fields."
We refuse to break faith.
Every poppy that blooms is a kept promise. Every seed planted is an act of defiance against the erosion of memory. Every veteran who shares their story ensures that those who paid the ultimate price are not lost to time.
This site exists so that we—veterans, families, and communities—can stand together and say with one voice:
We remember.
We honor. We will never forget.
To all who served and all who gave their last full measure: Your sacrifice was not in vain. We carry the torch. We keep the faith.
