Denali National Park Disputes Alleged Removal of American Flag

Workers, state residents, and Americans online all called this a breach of their constitutional rights, leading Alaskan Senator Dan Sullivan to request a full-scale investigation. Yet, according to the National Park Service, all accusations are false.

The Freedom to Display the American Flag Act of 2005 stipulates that everyone in the US has the right to fly the national flag. Yet, according to reports, a national park in Alaska broke the law when they instructed a construction crew to remove a flag from their premises.

The workers were instructed to remove a small flag on the outside of one of their construction vehicles, a request that has since sparked outrage online.

“Here I am in a national park, and we’re being told we can’t fly the American flag,” the contractor said. “I understand there are rules for contractors working in the national parks, but you wouldn’t think flying the American flag would be part of those rules.”

Given the severity of the accusations, the news quickly spread. Not long after, Alaskan senator Dan Sullivan claimed he sent a letter to Charles Sams III, the Parks Service Director.

“It is absurd and defies all logic that a federal contractor, working on a project which is funded by American taxpayers, in a National Park – the week before Memorial Day – is prohibited from flying the American flag,” Sullivan wrote.

“This is an outrage – particularly in the lead-up to our most solemn national holiday, Memorial Day, a time when Americans come together to honor those that gave their lives in service to our nation while wearing our country’s flag,” he wrote in the letter. “The American flag, especially on Memorial Day weekend, should be celebrated, not censored by federal government employees.”

X users commented under the post, applauding Sullivan for his statement against the NPS, with one user writing, “Thank you, Senator Sullivan, for standing up loud & clear to remind the National Park Service why they have the freedom to be employed and SERVE the American People.”

He said the NPS should, “Immediately investigate this incident” and “outline what concrete steps – be they increased training, clearer guidelines, updating policies – the NPS will take to ensure an incident like this does not happen again in American national parks.”

During an interview, the worker explained the situation, revealing that Merrell demanded the workers remove the flag as it “isn’t conducive” and “doesn’t fit the park experience.”

However, according to Peter Christian, a spokesperson for the National Park Service, the contractor’s allegations are false, and they would in no way prohibit anyone from flying the American flag.

He continued, “The NPS neither administers the bridge project contract nor has the authority to enforce terms or policies related to the contract or contractors performing the work.”

He finished by suggesting that the park had no problem with displaying the national flag. “We welcome its display this Memorial Day weekend and every day.”

People flocked to social media platforms to insult the workers, accusing her of being a “communist” and “anti-American.” Many people even left horrendous and violent comments, with one user writing, “I hope this leftist POS gets mauled by a grizzly bear.”

“Here I am in a national park, and we’re being told we can’t fly the American flag,” the contractor continued. “I understand there are rules for contractors working in the national parks, but you wouldn’t think flying the American flag would be part of those rules.”

She has made a name for herself as a left-leaning environmentalist and social justice worker with groups like DNA People’s Legal Services and Columbia Riverkeeper.

While the investigation is still ongoing, the agreement continues. Whether the sole contractor’s comments are valid is yet to be proven, but as the park suggests, it in no way tried to prohibit the workers from flying the American flag.

In a statement released in late May by the Federal Highway Administration, a visitor complained about the noise a bridge worker’s vehicle-mounted flag was making while traveling the Park Road.

A spokesperson for the company notes that one of the bridge project’s goals is to “preserve the park’s natural elements and maintain park visitors’ experience by keeping a low profile as we go about our work.”

“The crewman reiterated that the Federal Highway Administration official told the Granite Construction project manager that Park Superintendent Merrell wanted the flags removed from all construction trucks that were driving through the park, whenever they were outside of the confined construction area,” the Alaska Watchman report reads.

The employee who contacted the highway administration to ask the construction team to remove the flag did so without the park superintendent’s knowledge.

Recently, the Knights of Columbus were denied a permit to host a Memorial Day celebration in Poplar Grove National Cemetery, which is a national park. The permit was given to the catholic group after the NPS faced massive backlash for their decision.

This means that employees in uniform or on duty are not allowed to be certificated in events that celebrate Pride Month – which lasts all through June.

While nothing is explicitly “banned,” almost everything has to be filtered through the respective park superintendent, who will act according to applicable laws, rules, regulations, and NPS policies.