Monroe, Georgia
3698 Moina Michael Rd.
GPS coordinates: 33.77851,-83.56766
Take a photo of your rally flag and motorcycle with the above image.*

In Flanders Fields
by John McCrae

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.

Moina Michael was born in nearby Good Hope in 1869 and educated as a teacher. She was a professor at the University of Georgia when the U.S. entered WWI, and during the war she worked as a volunteer training YMCA workers who were on their way to overseas assignments.

After the war, Ms. Michael returned to teaching at the University of Georgia where she taught classes to disabled servicemen. Realizing a need for financial and occupational support for these servicemen, she pursued the idea of selling red silk poppies as a means of raising funds to assist disabled veterans. The red poppies were made by disabled veterans, and on Veteran's Day and Memorial Day, the poppies were, and still are to this day, distributed by the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion in exchange for donations used to help disabled veterans.

The idea of using poppies was inspired by John McCrae's poem “In Flanders Fields”. McCrae wrote this poem in 1915 after presiding over the funeral of a friend who had died in the Second Battle of Ypres in Flanders. The Second Battle of Ypres marked the first time the Germans used poison gas on a large scale basis. In 1921, Monia Michael's efforts resulted in the Red Poppy being adopted as a symbol of remembrance for war veterans by the American Legion Axillary. More specifically, the Red Poppy symbolizes those who have lost their lives in battle, and the tradition of the Red Poppy continues to this day.

Known as the "Poppy Lady" for her humanitarian efforts, Michael received numerous awards during her lifetime. In 1948, four years after her death, the U.S. Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp honoring her life. In 1969, the Georgia General Assembly named a section of U.S. Highway 78 the Moina Michael Highway. It is on this highway where you will find the stone memorial marking Monia Michael's Birthplace, the focus of this ToH location.

Next Veteran's Day and Memorial Day, remember your ToH visit to Monia Michael's birthplace, and be sure to make a donation and receive a Red Poppy to remember those who have died in battle, and to financially help disabled veterans.

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*If motorcycle, rally flag and above image can't be in the same photo, submit two photos: one with rally flag and above image, and another with rally flag and motorcycle nearby. If the site is CLOSED or inaccessible, submit a photo with rally flag and motorcycle nearby, along with an explanation.

Tour of Honor-Georgia is sponsored by Wes McCann.