Staff Writer

Every day is Veterans Day for a Methuen resident who has earned the nickname "Flag Man" for the elaborate cloth displays he has padlocked, chained and hoisted onto local bridges.

Nine bridges. About 1,000 American flags. About 1,000 yellow ribbons.

"It is my thank-you to the soldiers. I don't care what the cost is," said James Sereigo-Wareing, 45, customer service director at Malden Mills.

Tuesday, people from around the Merrimack Valley and Southern New Hampshire will take Sereigo-Wareing's lead as they mark Veterans Day -- the anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I in 1918 -- with parades, patriotic music and flag raisings.

Veterans Day activities in most towns are scheduled on Tuesday. Government offices and schools in Massachusetts and New Hampshire will be closed, but most businesses will be open. Much of the morning will be filled with public events and ceremonies.

For his actions, Sereigo-Wareing will be one of a handful of people honored for patriotism by the Methuen Exchange Club on Veterans Day evening in Methuen.

The event is one of many planned to honor the nation's past and present soldiers.

From around the Valley, the lilt of bagpipes and the boom of cannons will sound from cemeteries and town squares. People will march in parades, lay wreaths at memorials and read aloud the names of soldiers who have died.

In every town, people will remember veterans in their own way.

In Derry, N.H., students from Pinkerton Academy will serve breakfast to veterans and their families.

In Hampstead, N.H., townspeople will sing patriotic songs and pass out small American flags.

In Andover, residents will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of the Korean War and the end of World War I, while in Amesbury, the day's events will focus on those still fighting in Iraq and elsewhere around the world.

"There are celebrations throughout the state. We have police in the color guards and playing bagpipes and drums," said Lt. Marian McGovern, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts State Police.

State police are not expecting excess traffic and staffing will be maintained at usual levels, she said.

The early forecast for Veterans Day is partly cloudy and windy with a high of 50 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

It should be a fine day for Sereigo-Wareing, the tireless recipient of an award the Methuen Exchange Club has dubbed "Proudly We Hail." He will use it to fortify his strength. Inspired by the war efforts, he checks his bridges weekly to keep the flags stocked and fresh -- as a morale booster for soldiers and their families.

A few bridge displays, which have grown symmetrical and artful, have nevertheless seen their flags tampered with by people who disagree with the message. Sereigo-Wareing said the tampering seems unpatriotic but it does not deter him.

Motorists beep at him as he hangs military flags on 15-foot poles. Soldiers e-mail messages of thanks and passersby smile, he says.

"We should pay more attention to our veterans," he said.

Meg Murphy
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