A Maple Leaf Falls in Fairest Fort Peck

Sometime after 12:30 a.m. last Sunday, July 12, on Millionaire Mile at the Fort Peck cabins, a person decided that a Canadian flag flown on private property was somehow offensive – even though it was being flown along with an American flag. That person snapped the Maple Leaf off its flag pole and took it. My husband, Don, and I, who were flying these flags, regard this as a hate crime, and he has reported it to the police.

I don’t need to explain why we were flying this flag, but I will. I am American, raised right here near Glasgow. My husband is Canadian and is now a legal resident of the States. For 22½ years, I lived in Canada where we ranched. Once we had raised our girls, who were educated in Opheim, we decided to sell the ranch and move back to my hometown, and my husband was excited to move south and open a needed business in our community. Thus, we have each lived as “foreigners.” For a fellow American to so mistreat my hard-working husband, an admired member of each community he has been a part of, is deeply embarrassing to me and hurtful to both of us.

Whoever committed this crime is an ignorant, selfish, childish person with no sense of respect. We didn’t ask anyone to fly the flag at the state capitol (if that’s the issue); we flew it on our own property to show that we feel we owe much to both countries for the good in our lives, and that is our business. But for some idiot to sneak up in the middle of the night and desecrate another country’s flag just for “fun” is an act of cowardice, small-mindedness and bigotry, no matter what his reasoning. And if some person actually feels that Canada is an enemy of some sort, I’ve got to ask, “What the hell?”

Because we feel this is a crime rooted in hate, and because we feel this should never be tolerated, we are offering a reward of $2,500 for information which could lead to the arrest of this bigot and vandal.

Thank you.

Please contact the Valley County Sheriff's Office at (406) 228-4333 with information regarding this crime.