By BILL KIRK | The Eagle-Tribune | Published: May 5, 2021 METHUEN, Mass. (Tribune News Service) — On May 22, Cadet 1st Lt. Nathaniel Hashem will oversee a staff of a half-dozen "officers" and an army of 100 in a highly choreographed, military-like operation. Not bad for a 16-year-old high school sophomore. Hashem, a member of the Junior ROTC at Methuen High School, has been given command of flag replacement day — an annual event during which volunteers fan out across the city to replace old, tattered flags at the graves of military veterans in advance of Memorial Day ceremonies the following week. This year, under the tutelage of Paul Jensen, who recently took over as Methuen's veterans services officer, the operation has been revamped into an efficient, volunteer-driven assault on the city's cemeteries.