Google commissioned Phenix City, Alabama artist Steven Tette to create its Veteran’s Day 2021 Doodle. The Doodle showcases members of each of the six branches of the U.S. military, men and women, all standing side by side. They are displayed wearing both the uniform of their time in the service and the clothing of the lives they live after their military careers have ended, including a doctor, a pastry chef and a disabled veteran.
The painting can currently be seen displayed in-person at The Columbus (Georgia) Museum; Columbus, Georgia is directly across the Chattahoochee River from Phenix City, Alabama .
Tette, a U.S. Army veteran himself, said it was important that his oil-based painting accurately represent the uniforms worn by his brothers and sisters in service.
“As a U.S. Army veteran, I am very familiar with Army dress codes,” Tette told Google in discussing his art. “But I had to spend many hours learning the uniforms of the five other services. Getting it right is very important to me.
He added that he was inspired in his art by the varied forms of patriotism he’s encountered.
“I wanted to display the diversity of the American veteran and how our lives as civilians are just as diverse,” he said. “However, I primarily wanted to show the unity of the figures. I want them to be seen as one.”

Celebrating American art and history, The Columbus Museum is free and open to the public Tuesday through Sunday. For hours of operations and other information, visit the columbusmuseum.com.
Steven Tette
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