Denali National Park Disputes Alleged Removal of American Flag

By: Ben Campbell | Last updated: Jun 26, 2024

Outrage has ensued online after it was revealed construction workers were ordered to remove an American flag they had positioned on the side of a construction vehicle within Alaska’s Denali National Park.

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 Right to Fly the American Flag

Citizens and residents of the United States take great pride in the freedom they have to display their national flag. In fact, following a presidential act signed by George Bush nearly two decades ago, all Amercians have a constitutional right to fly the flag.

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A photograph of a large American flag

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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.

Construction Workers Asked to Remove Flag

Construction workers had been working near the Pretty Rocks Landslide at mile 45 in Alaska’s Denali Park Road when, according to the Daily Mail, park officials approached them.

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A photograph of construction workers

Source: Wikimedia

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.

Asked to Stop Flying the Flag in the National Park

According to the contractor’s statement, his team has been flying three-foot by four-foot flags on top of their trucks for weeks without incident.

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A photograph of a crumpled U.S. flag

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“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.”

Alaska Watchman Speaks With Contractor

The allegations were first shared by the Alaska Watchman, a publication that claims to aspire to be Alaska’s liberal mainstream media. According to their report, a contractor revealed that a park official ordered the workers to remove the flag.

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A reporter on the street

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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.

Alaska Senator Speaks on Outrageous Request

Sullivan, clearly outraged by the incident, went on to make a statement, arguing that the request defied all logic.

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Dan Sullivan pictured alongside Ivanka Trump

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“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.

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The Demand for Answers

Sullivan’s outrage continued in a letter to the NPS director, in which he demanded an explanation for the claim and an investigation into the alleged incident.

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“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.”

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Protecting the Freedoms of Americans 

Sullivan shared a copy of the letter on X, formerly Twitter, writing that “there is no federal regulation or law that I can conceive of that would ban the flying of the American flag on public land.”

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Flags waving in field

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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.”

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Sullivan Requests an Immediate Investigation

After hearing the news, Sullivan immediately directed the National Park Service to carry out a full-scale investigation to determine the cause.

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A photograph of people working at their desk

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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.”

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Why Were the Workers Asked to Remove the Flag?

According to the contractor who was interviewed, Denali National Park’s Superintendent Brooke Merrell was the person who demanded the flag be removed from the vehicle.

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An up-close image of an American flag

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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.”

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National Park Service Denies the Accusations

The contractor explained that the flag was displayed without incident for several weeks. He then suggested that once tour buses began passing by, the order swiftly followed.

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A photograph of several officers of the National Park Service

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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.

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Spokesperson Speaks on the Accusations

In a statement shared with the Daily Mail, Christian argued, “At no time did an NPS official seek to ban the American flag from the project site or associated vehicles.”

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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.”

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We Welcome the American Flag

Christian added that visitors can see the flag on display throughout Denali National Park, including employee residences, campsites, and numerous park facilities.

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A photograph of an American flag blowing in the wind

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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.”

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Superintendent Receives Backlash

As the contractor claimed the person behind the request was the park’s superintendent, Merrell, she became the subject of heavy online criticism.

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A photograph of a shocked woman using her phone

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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.”

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The Superintendent Is to Blame

The contractor blamed this incident on the park’s superintendent, Brooke Merrell, who took control of the national park in 2022 and was celebrated for being the first woman to serve as superintendent of the 105-year-old park.

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Source: Denali National Park and Preserve/Wikimedia Commons

“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.”

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Meet the Park’s Superintendent, Brook Merrell

Merrell moved to Alaska in 2009 as a transportation planner and environmental coordinator. Originally from Pennsylvania, Merrell had worked for the City of Portland and the Gulf Islands National Seashore.

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A headshot of Brooke Merrell in her NPS uniform

Source: National Parks Service

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.

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Liberals in Charge of the Parks

According to the contractor who wished to keep his name anonymous, “When these liberals get in charge of these parks, that’s how it is.”

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Autumn Colors Denali National Park

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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.

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Clearing Up the Confusion

Now, the park service has cleared up the confusion and outrage that has spread like wildfire on social media. According to Alaska Public Media, the highway administration, which is overseeing the bridge project the construction team was working on, asked for the flag to be removed.

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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.

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The Goal to Reduce Noise

Because the agency’s goal is to minimize noise for visitors and wildlife in the national park, the bridge contractor’s company, Granite Construction, was notified of the complaint.

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White semi Truck Near Pine Tress during Daytime

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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.”

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Merrell Wanted the Flag Removed 

The Alaska Watchman published another piece that claims Merrel was the one who contacted the Federal highway administration officials overseeing the bridge project and said there were “complaints” about the American flags.

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Many American flags on poles waving in the wind.

Source: Kevin Lanceplaine/Unsplash

“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.

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Merrell Didn’t Know This Was Happening

However, this noise complaint about the “flapping” noise the flag was making was handled incorrectly, according to a statement from the NPS.

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

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Political Battles Over Patriotism

Political battles over the right ways to display patriotism in the US – especially over how the American flag is flown – seem to pop up every Memorial Day and Fourth of July.

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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.

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The Backlash Against NPS Rules

The NPS is also facing more backlash as its updated rules prohibit uniformed employees from marching in public events that “could be construed as agency support for a particular issue, position, or political party,” according to internal memos and documents shared with NBC News.

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LGTBQ+ supporters walking under a pride flag

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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.

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The Complicated System of the NPS

Many of the NPS rules and politics around existing guidelines seem to be a large departure from how the agency has traditionally operated in the past.

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A close up of a National Park Services badge ona active ranger

Source: Joshua Tree National Park/Flickr

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.

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