UPDATE: On Wednesday, May 29, the Federal Highway Administration fessed up. Turns out, a park visitor complained that a bridge worker’s mounted flag was making noise as it traveled the park road. The FHWA requested the flag’s removal in order to “Preserve the park’s natural elements and maintain park visitors’ experience by keeping a low profile” while bridge work continues.
In protest to the flag’s removal, a convoy of vehicles from Fairbanks and the surrounding area descended into the park on May 26. Each vehicle proudly displayed the American flag.
The National Park Service (NPS) has vigorously denied an explosive story from last week in which construction workers in Denali National Park were supposedly told to remove the American flag from their trucks and heavy equipment. The crew is currently working on a 475-foot-long bridge in the park.
On May 16, 2024, the NPS released a statement repudiating the original report:
At no time did an NPS official seek to ban the American flag from the project site or associated vehicles. 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. The American flag can be seen at various locations within Denali National Park – at park facilities and campsites, on public and private vehicles, and at employee residences – and we welcome its display this Memorial Day weekend and every day.
The original story was based on unnamed sources, which purportedly claimed that the construction crew could no longer display the American flag from its equipment because it was a distraction to park visitors.
##RVT1159b
Thank for clarifying – we have enuf dissension and division in this country at this time…. Would be hard to believe the NPS would require or demand such a thing!
Thank you, Gail! 🙂 Geez! How awful. Once something gets asserted, then it must be refuted. Unfortunately, refuting often implies to others that the original story was accurate. Communication certainly can get muddled in the age of the internet. Thank you for rebuting the original report, Gail! 🙂 Have a great week and safe travels! 🙂
SIGH!😔 Why does everything seem to have to involve a political statement anymore ?
The main problem is that when people lie there are no consequences. We see it ALL the time everyday. In fact nowadays, there are no consequences for violent crimes. The criminal now has more rights than the victim. The day of reckoning is coming.