Methuen veterans, students come together to remember and serve
METHUEN - Over the weekend in Methuen, dozens took part in placing flags on veterans' graves throughout the city.
"Nineteen different teams all go out from here and go to the different sections of the cemetery, and it all gets done simultaneously," Methuen Veterans Service Officer Paul Jensen said.
Veteran Roland Pelletier spent the day placing flags at Elmwood Cemetery. "My dad was a World War II vet, and all my uncles were. And I'm a veteran of Vietnam, and to me, it's the proper thing to do to show respect," Pelletier said.
The flags are placed in preparation for Memorial Day. A total of 5,000 flags were placed in 10 different cemeteries throughout the city of Methuen. People from all ages took part in the event, which was also student-run.
"This is a really great way to honor those who have died in the services. I have some family members who are veterans. So I just wanted to help out my community and be as big of a part of this as much as I could," Methuen junior Eleanor Murphy said. Murphy is part of the ROTC program at Methuen High School. She and fellow students took great pride in making sure every veteran was represented and remembered.
"I don't come from a veteran family, but I grew up around a lot of people who did serve. To me, it matters that they get the recognition they deserve because they paid the ultimate sacrifice so we can be standing here today," senior Nathaniel Hashem said.