The removal of an American flag from a construction site in Denali National Park has drawn vitriol from netizens and a local elected official.
Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan wrote an angry letter to National Park Service Director Charles Sams III on May 24, requesting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the flag’s disappearance.
Sullivan alleged that crews were ordered to remove a 3 x 5 American flag from a construction vehicle at mile 45 of Denali Park Road near the Pretty Rocks Landslide.
The allegations were first published by the Alaska Watchman. The publication claimed it spoke to a contractor who said a park official ordered workers to take down the flag.
“It is absurd and defies logic that a federal contractor working on a project funded by American taxpayers should not fly the American flag in a National Park – the week before Memorial Day,” Sullivan wrote.
The removal of an American flag from a construction vehicle in Alaska’s Denali National Park has sparked backlash and caught the attention of a senator
The claims were made by an anonymous contractor who pointed a finger at Superintendent Brooke Merrell, claiming she ordered crews to remove the flag after visitors complained
The American flag flies at several stations throughout the park, as well as at the visitor center.
Sullivan requested that the NPS “immediately investigate this incident” and “outline what concrete steps – whether more training, clearer guidelines, updating policies – the NPS will take to ensure that an incident like this does not happen again happens in US national parks.’
The contractor, who spoke on condition of anonymity, blamed Denali National Park Superintendent Brooke Merrell, claiming she informed the man overseeing the project of “complaints” about the flag.
He claimed Merrell told workers to remove it because it “is not conducive” and “doesn’t fit with the park experience.”
According to the contractor, the flag was displayed for weeks without incident and the order only came after tour buses passed through the area.
As a result of the unverified allegations, Merrell – the first woman to serve as superintendent in the park’s century-long history – became the target of hostility.
Critics flocked to a congratulatory Facebook post announcing her 2022 promotion, accusing her of being “anti-American” and a “communist.”
The hatred turned to calls for violence, including one commenting: “I hope this left-wing POS gets mauled by a grizzly bear.”
The issue caught the attention of Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan, who ordered an immediate investigation into the circumstances surrounding the flag’s removal.
Sullivan, a Republican and fierce Trump ally, claimed the NPS had “censored” the flag and called the action “a shame” ahead of Memorial Day
DBM Contractors announced earlier this month that workers had mobilized to work on the bridge, which is due to be completed next year
The outrage led to a Facebook invite for a “patriotic flag-waving convoy” that would travel from a Fairbanks Walmart to the park itself on Sunday.
Some conservatives were quick to politicize the issue, including the anonymous contractor himself.
“If these Liberals end up in charge of these parks, then so be it,” he said.
The incident also led to the mobilization of a “patriotic flag-waving convoy” from a Fairbanks Walmart to the park itself on Sunday.
The event organizer mentioned Merrell in a Facebook invite, writing that she had ordered “contractors working in the park to remove their AMERICAN FLAGS from their vehicles (sic).”
Twenty-six people had promised to be there from Sunday morning.
Denali National Park is monitoring the construction progress of Pretty Rocks Landslide on its official website.
Last May, officials announced that the expected completion date for the earthworks and bridge foundations had been pushed back to 2024. The bridge itself is expected to be built in 2025 and the project is expected to be completed a year later.
DBM Contractors announced earlier this month that workers had begun installing micropiles and ground nails to facilitate the construction of the bridge.
DailyMail.com has contacted the NPS for comment and clarification.