Stolen valor: Flag disappears from Flattop, but is restored by kids, Rep. Laddie Shaw

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Only days after a complaint had been made about the American flag that flies on Flattop Mountain, and after the flag had been refreshed by a small group of intrepid legislators, the new flag went missing.

Several people contacted Must Read Alaska to say the American flag had been stolen, after Reps. Kelly Merrick, Lance Pruitt, Sara Rasmussen, and Laddie Shaw had replaced a tattered Old Glory on Friday.

Shaw got the word this morning about the missing flag and raced to the top of Flattop, some 3,150 feet, to raise a new flag. On the way, he encountered a family with children. He waited for them to catch up with him at the top of Flattop.

“The kids were so disappointed when they got there because they had come to see the flag and it was missing,” Shaw said. “I told them, ‘I’ve got one right here, and if you’ll help me we’ll raise it up.'”

The children and Rep. Shaw then hoisted the new flag together.

Shaw says he has no idea who would have stolen the flag over the weekend, but the concept of stealing an American flag from the popular Anchorage hiking destination mystifies him.

“It’s our flag. It’s a symbol of who we are,” he said. “But you will never beat me with that flag. I buy 52 a year, and I’ll put one up a week if I have to. I buy them by the dozen,” said Shaw, who is a retired Navy SEAL.

12 COMMENTS

  1. Next the flag will be taken from our homes. This is theft. People need to remember that a great many have security cameras.

  2. Love ya Laddie, just as I love all patriots! If we are not willing to stand for this GREAT COUNTRY, we will FALL for ANYTHING!!

  3. Great story and GO Laddie Shaw! What leadership in an otherwise leaderless wasteland that of Anchorage.

  4. I’m so proud of you Laddie Shaw thank you for your service and thank you for replacing that beautiful flag where it belongs! Shame on the cowards that stole it. I hope they are dealt with once they are caught. Long live Old Glory!!

  5. I’m happy someone is willing to push back against these America haters. If you aren’t part of the solution, then you are the problem, don’t let the door hit you in the —!

  6. This is why I voted for the man, and will continue to vote for him whenever he seeks election. I wonder why the selection committee rejected him as a replacement for The Honorable Chris Birch after his passing?

  7. People who do not know anything about honor rejected Laddie Shaw (probably feared him). I predict he will still be carrying the flag when they are long gone. Survival of the fittest.

  8. You know, having a cache of modest-size flags handy might just make a damn good basis for acts of civil disobedience in the very near future…

  9. Cowards constantly tearing at our society, attempting to insinuate their control over our lives. Good for Shaw to lead the opposition of this cancer in our world today.

  10. Hi Joel, Laddie refused to join the binding caucus. We feel he should be able to represent his constituents with his voice and his vote.

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