When Allen Tullar woke up Sunday morning, he found the American flag he attached to his truck charred to bits and seared to the vehicle.

The Washington state resident told KOMO his apartment complex doesn’t allow the American flags on the building, so he attached one to his red pick-up several weeks ago to honor the men and women who died for his freedoms. Tullar said he has family and co-workers in the service, and the flag was meant to show his appreciation for their sacrifices.

But sometime between 12 and 6 a.m. Sunday vandals set fire to Old Glory, leaving the paint on his truck severely damaged and a crack in his window from the heat, according to the news site.

“Sickening that somebody would do that,” Tullar said, adding that he’s now on a mission to find the culprits.

“To deface something that we all fought for, you know, it’s to me … it’s just … there’s other ways to voice your opinion,” he said, “and by doing this it was wrong.”

Auburn police are now investigating the incident, a spokesman told KOMO, but there doesn’t appear to be any video surveillance in the area. Tullar said he’s hoping his insurance will cover the damage, but he’s not deterred by the cowardly act.

Tullar told KOMO a friend gave him a new American flag that’s now flying behind the truck, and he’s using the incident to send a message to those responsible for destroying the last one.

“No matter how you feel,” he said, “just respect each other. That’s all I ask.”

Tullar isn’t the only patriot running into problems for displaying the stars and stripes on a national holiday designed to pay tribute to fallen soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Gander Outdoors in Statesville, North Carolina is fighting a lawsuit by the city that aims to force the business to take down a massive 40-foot-by-80-foot American flag greeting visitors to the RV dealership.

The city has imposed a fine of $50 per day retroactive to October 2018 because the business has steadfastly refused to downgrade the flag to a smaller size that complies with the city codes, which stipulate a flag no larger than 25 feet by 40 feet.

“I don’t care if it goes to $500 a day,” Camping World and Gander RV CEO Marcus Lemonis told WSOC. “It’s not coming down.”

Gander Outdoors explained why in a Facebook post last week.

“This is about more than just the flag,” the post read. “This is about our Veterans, Military, and the men and women that have sacrificed for this great country. They are the reason we fly the flag and they are the reason we will NOT take it down!”

More than 260,000 folks have signed a Change.org petition of support to “Let Camping World & Gander Outdoors Fly The American Flag!”