A former Green Beret has developed a fire-proof American flag designed to thwart attempted burning by protesters.
Retired Staff Sgt. Kyle Daniels, 35, an Iraq War veteran based in Denver, co-founded the Firebrand Flag Company after seven years in Army Special Operations.
- Daniels’ company released the kevlar and nomex American flag on June 14 as its first product.
- The debut came amid nationwide demonstrations against racism and policing that have seen some flags burned and others protested.
- More than a dozen historic statues have also been toppled.
In a July 2 interview with KFTK-FM radio, Daniels said he “fought for people’s right to” protest, but that “doesn’t mean I like seeing flags being burned.”
- So, I decided to take burning out of the equation and make a flag that couldn’t be treated that way.”
- “I got sick to my stomach watching the American flag being burned as a means of protest. That flag means so much more to me now after seeing the sacrifice of my brothers and sisters in arms made to defend what it represents,” he told an interviewer in 2017.
Here’s what it can look like when a protester loses a fight with an American flag:
At a June 20 rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, President Donald Trump suggested legislating jail time for flag burners.
- "We talk about freedom of speech ... but that’s desecration,” he said.
Daniels said on KFTK that the biggest challenge so far with the rollout of the fire-proof American flag has been meeting the demand.