New flags for heroes as American Training Guests replace American Flags at the graves of Veterans ahead of Memorial Day

Miguel Maldonado walked through St. Anthony’s Cemetery in Methuen on Tuesday morning, stopping at each Veterans’ grave. As he stopped, he looked at the stone marking the grave, took down the faded, weather-worn red, white, and blue flag and replaced it with a bright, brand new American Flag.

“I felt proud to change them,” said the 22-year-old American Training Guest from Lawrence. “It’s a way to pay tribute to the Veterans who protected the United States.”

For nearly a decade, American Training, located in Andover, has been assisting the Methuen Department of Veterans Affairs with replacing American Flags at the graves of Veterans. In that time, American Training’s Guests, or adults with disabilities, have replaced thousands of flags at cemeteries throughout Methuen as part of an initiative that requires all Veterans receive new flags annually for Memorial Day.

This year, 14 Guests worked together with Methuen Veterans’ Service Officer Thomas Hargeaves to replace the flags at four cemeteries including St. Anthony’s, St. Peter and Paul’s, St. Xenia’s, and the Lithuanian Cemetery.

Among the Guests that spent the sunny day in the cemeteries among a sea of waving American Flags was David Santiago, 24, of Lawrence.

“I like to do it for the city,” he said. “I like the fun of it and doing it because it makes people happy and it makes me happy.”

Hargreaves, who has organized the flag replacement with American Training for 6 years, said he likes to see  the community involvement. He spent last Saturday working with local schools to edge the grave markers and Tuesday replacing the flags with American Training.

Hargreaves said he enjoys working the Guests. “They’re out here doing something,” he said, “and the only thing they ask for in return is a proclamation stating they’ve been here.”

Joe Robichaud, a job developer and coordinator for the Work Choice program at American Training, has been organizing the event for Guests since 2005. He said many of the Guests express great pride and joy in their growing collections of proclamations from replacing the flags over the years.

Robichaud said the annual event has grown over the years, starting with just four Guests nine years ago. “Not a week goes by without a Guest asking me when we’ll be doing this,” he said.

He started the program as a volunteer project for Guests. “I introduced it to them and it just flowered. Everyone wanted to do it,” he said.

He said he enjoys taking the Guests to the cemetery because it makes them happy.

“They understand and respect the Veterans and people who fought in the wars and made sacrifices,” he said. “A lot of them have people in their families who were or are in the service.”

Robichaud, who served as a Sargent in the Air Force in Vietnam, said, “I feel like I’m doing something, giving something back to the Veterans, being a Veteran myself.”

Robichaud felt the impact of their efforts when a visitor to one of the cemeteries spotted a new flag on her loved one’s grave and thanked them.

Methuen will continue to prepare the cemeteries throughout the city for Memorial Day with opportunities to get involved on May 10 and 17. To find out when your city will be replacing flags and how to get involved, go to your city’s website.