Dan Antion

Doors on Veterans Day

Welcome to Thursday Doors! This is a weekly challenge for people who love doors and architecture to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos, drawings, or other images or stories from around the world. If you’d like to join us, simply create your own Thursday Doors post each (or any) week and then share a link to your post in the comments below, anytime between 12:01 am Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time). If you like, you can add our badge to your post.

Today is Veterans Day in the United States. Many other countries celebrate Armistice Day and/or Remembrance Day. This tradition began at the end of World War I and has been expanded (in the US and in some other countries) to include veterans from other conflicts. Actually, in the US, the day is one that honors every member of the Armed Forces who ever served. That’s fine by me. I think they deserve our gratitude every day, so I’m certainly willing to give them a day in November.

Some of you may remember some of the doors (and other images) in the gallery today – most of them have appeared before. I wanted to find a way of meeting the challenge of Thursday Doors and recognize the day on which it falls this year. I hope you enjoy.

Thank you for visiting, and please take a moment to think about the people who serve and have served to establish and maintain the freedom we enjoy. I hope to honor them by paying closer attention to my actions and attempting to align them with the ideals these people fought to uphold and stand ready to protect.

Suffield War Memorial
Side entrance to Memorial Hall.
The Memorial Arch. On the northwest corner of the new playground.
Main doors of the Cary Memorial Library in Lexington
Pittsburgh Naval and Shipbuilders Memorial Bridge – opened 1976
Memorial Hall
Memorial Hall
Memorial Hall
WWII Memorial looking at the Pacific monument.
Korean Veterans Memorial
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Lexington, MA Historical Society – these guys certainly have a full plate.
This house sits in front of the historic cemetery in Concord.
Door in the amphitheater behind the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
One of the doors in the amphitheater behind the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Memorial to the Minutemen who fought at the battle of the Old North Bridge in Concord. MA/
Women’s Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery
The entrance gates to Arlington National Cemetery
Service at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Arlington National Cemetery
The plaque says “Headquarters Lexington Minutemen 1775”

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143 comments

  13. We live the lives that we do, in great part, because of the sacrifices these men and women made for us. They did not asked to die but they did not question the need to fight. You honour them with your post.

    Liked by 2 people

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  17. You did an amazing job of combining doors and Veteran’s Day Dan. This took more than a little thought on your part. Today’s doors are beautiful, but they represent such sorrowful times in the history of our country. Thank you for sharing such a lovely tribute.

    My heartfelt thanks to all the men and women who have served, who continue to serve, and to their families for the sacrifices they make as well. We wouldn’t be living in our free country without you. May we never forget.
    Ginger

    Liked by 3 people

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    • Thank you for this comment, Ginger. I knew there had to be a way to support the Thursday Doors challenge and still honor the memory and show appreciation for those who have served and continue to serve. I’m glad you like this post.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  18. Lovely collection, and tribute.
    Of all the memorials I’ve visited it was the Vietnam that floored me. I wasn’t expecting much, but when I walked… and the names of the dead rose over my head? I wept. It was a very powerful experience.

    Liked by 2 people

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  26. These are all stirring and important, but the Memorial Arch — wow!

    Also, I’ve always been struck by the fact that Arlington was previously the home of Robert E. Lee. Talk about an “in your face” move!

    Liked by 2 people

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    • Like a lot of memorial buildings and structures, Steve, the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch in Bushnell Park, Hartford, Connecticut, honors the 4,000 Hartford citizens who served in the American Civil War. Memorial Hall in our town was also built after the Civil War.

      I didn’t know that about Arlington. Yeah, “take that.”

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  32. HI Dan, this is a lovely post. Only the people of British extraction celebrate Remembrance Day here in South Africa so it is a small event. I think that everyone should learn about WW1 and WW2 so that people are aware of what can happen when the world turns upside down. The risks are even higher now with small bombs have such destructive potential.

    Liked by 3 people

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    • That building with the large arched entrance is in our small town. It was built to honor the veterans from the American Civil War. Our military is vast and complex. It represents slightly over 10% of the Federal budget, and Guard units are also partially funded by the states. Veterans healthcare is a big deal, and yet it is often underfunded.

      I’m glad you are participating today, and I liked your doors.

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    • Thanks Teagan. I was still living in Pittsburgh when that bridge was finished, When we visit, we often stay at a hotel on an island in the Ohio River that is directly under that bridge.

      Memorial Hall is rather dark and foreboding. It’s not used for much these days. I toured it a couple of years ago. The third floor (where I would have liked to have gone) is closed to the public. The second floor of the turret houses a small exhibit dedicated to Abraham Lincoln.

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  44. Thank you, Dan. This was a wonderful journey at Arlington National Cemetery. The doors in the amphitheater behind the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier are amazing. Someday I hope to walk the area and not just drive by. 😊

    Liked by 1 person

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    • If you’re going to walk, Gwen, I suggest you don’t visit in June, like I did. It was very hot and very humid. But it’s an experience I will never forget. I don’t normally point people to other posts, but this was my post on Memorial Day in 2017. Visiting the cemetery was a remarkable experience, but there was something that added to my feelings that day. I think you might enjoy it – https://nofacilities.com/2017/05/29/my-thoughts-on-memorial-day/ – I think this is before we connected.

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  47. Great collection of doors, Dan. And I thank you for remembering our Veterans today. My husband is one and today because our family really recognized him, he is in a good place. Many years he is not due to the “memories” he has. My heart just smiles knowing he is feeling good about today.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  57. A thoughtful and timely tribute, Dan. You captured the spirit of the day so well with your photo collection. I attended a Remembrance Day service yesterday. I visited the Korean Veterans Memorial and Vietnam Veterans Memorial before the pandemic. Very sad to see so many names, so many lives lost, and how many families have been affected.

    Here’s my Thursday Doors entry: https://natalietheexplorer.home.blog/2021/11/12/fall-cycling-and-hiking/

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thanks Natalie. Those two memorials are the source of mixed emotions. Pride in the brave men and women who were involved and deep sadness.

      I love the post you’ve shared with us today. The autumn colors are stunning.

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