A World War II veteran asked me to design a memorial for his fallen brothers in our local park. I could see in Jack's eyes a great sadness because so many didn't make it home, while he himself was lucky.

Patrick is the sole survivor of his Vietnam War platoon, and to this day, he struggles under a mountain of guilt that only he made it out alive.

Bob is a chopper gunner haunted to this day by his actions.

Every year as Veterans Day arrives, I think of these brave and heroic men.

Veterans Day is a day to honor our compatriots who returned injured or maimed in the prime of their lives. Thousands of warriors returned alive but physically or mentally destroyed. They needed more help than the government could give. In order to solicit funds for rehabilitation, they took on the task of creating small red-paper poppies to wear on hats and lapels. These are sold to benefit recovering veterans and support those who have no chance of returning to a normal life.

These little poppies are made to resemble Papaver rhoeas, the corn poppy, a wildflower of Europe. After the Armistice, they sprang up, turning battlefields into massive seas of scarlet blooms. These barren landscapes pocked with craters, crisscrossed with trenches and scarred by mud were perfect germination grounds for these wildflowers. They die out in undisturbed earth, but where thousands of men were buried and the soil was fertilized with blood, they thrived. It was as if Mother Nature herself sent these red flowers to remind us all of the sacrifices that were made.

This is just one example of how important flowers are in our world as symbols of life and death, of triumph and tragedy. They are gestures of hope and honor, silently expressing our feelings for those who have suffered. Perhaps this year we can carry out a single, thoughtful act that will warm the hearts of these survivors of the wars, those who suffer to this very day.

In every state, there are Veterans Administration hospitals and clinics where the wounded are healing. Some house severely damaged veterans who cannot live on their own or who need ongoing treatment. These are the people who haunt Jack and Bob and Patrick. These are the survivors who have given the most and who deserve our attention on this special day.

These veterans can be honored with flowers; it is but a small token of our understanding. If you are a gardener, carry bouquets to these hospitals. If you don't live nearby, order them from online flower distributors and have them delivered. Or just purchase loads of those little paper poppies from your local grocery stores or bodegas.