Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) has written a scathing letter to the National Park Service Director Charles Sams, expressing outrage over reports that construction crews at Alaska’s Denali National Park were ordered to remove American flags from their vehicles.
According to an anonymous construction worker cited by the Alaska Watchman, park superintendent Brooke Merrell complained about the flags, claiming they were distracting from the “park experience.” The worker, who was part of a crew building a $207 million bridge in the park, said they were told the flags were not “conducive” and did not “fit the park experience.”
In his letter, Sullivan emphasized the timing of the incident, noting that it happened “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 argued that the American flag should be celebrated, not censored by federal government employees, especially on public land.
The senator demanded that Sams investigate the incident and take steps to ensure it does not happen again in American national parks. The incident has also sparked a protest, with Alaska residents organizing a “patriotic convoy with flags” from Fairbanks to Denali National Park on Sunday.
