Green Berets represent the U.S. Army’s elite fighting force, and Staff Sergeant Kyle Daniels has taken that skill and dedication from the battlefield abroad to his work at home. The former Special Forces member is the founder and CEO Firebrand Flag Company, which has produced the first-ever fire-resistant flag.
Trying to envision “a positive counter-measure to the disrespect that was being shown to our flag,” both at home from protesters and abroad from terrorist groups, Daniels decided to create a flag that would be nearly indestructible. “I knew there had to be a way to produce a flag that could defend itself when nobody was around to defend it,” he explained.
All of this time, effort, and energy the former Green Beret has put into the company was dedicated to making “a flag that would look, feel and fly like a real flag but that wouldn’t burn.”
With the help of a business mentor that Daniels was paired with, he set about solving the technical challenges involved in his concept. “If things had gone the way I initially envisioned with Firebrand Flags, I would have been up and running within six months and every red-blooded, patriotic American would be proudly flying one of my flags in front of their house or business,” Daniels said.
Of course, working with high-tech materials like kevlar, an incredibly strong and heat-resistant synthetic fiber used for bulletproof vests and combat helmets, and nomex, a flame-resistant fiber used in firefighters’ gear, presented obstacles, but as a seasoned veteran of the U.S. Special Forces, Daniels was not discouraged.
“When I hit those roadblocks, I simply have to adapt, overcome, and do whatever needs to be done to accomplish the mission,” he explained.
Having accomplished his first objective of creating the first fire-retardant American flag, Daniels’s next goal is getting the word out. “I want every home, business and government building in America to proudly fly one of our flags,” he declared. “I also want it to fly outside all of our embassies and forward operating bases overseas.”
We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at [email protected]