Iowa Park Ranger's Devastating Response to Being Fired Goes Viral

Valentine's Day was instead Black Friday, and not the good kind, for thousands of federal workers who were unexpectedly fired. A thousand of those were National Park Service employees across the country. In lieu of the firings, multiple Iowa news sources caught up with Brian Gibbs, who worked at Effigy Mounds National Monument in Harpers Ferry, IA.

Gibbs, who is 41-years-old, was fired, and responded with a Facebook post that has since gone viral. The post has garnered over 94,000 reactions, 14,000 comments, and over 231,000 shares as of this writing. The comment section is brimful with reactions of heartbreak, devastation, sympathy, empathy, anger, and disgust, all justifiable emotions.

Brian Gibbs is a father of one with another child on the way. Now, he's without a job, income, and insurance.

He is one of 1,000 National Park Service workers who were fired as part of President Donald Trump's efforts to shrink the size and magnitude of the federal workforce. Per The Des Moines Register, at least 2,300 federal workers in the Department of Interior had their positions terminated. That included 800 Bureau of Land Management employees and roughly 1,000 National Park Service workers.

Gibbs' Facebook post thoughtfully articulates all that he did for Effigy Mounds and its countless visitors during his employment:

I am a father, a loving husband, and dedicated civil servant.
I am an oath of office to defend and protect the constitution from all enemies foreign and domestic.
I am a work evaluation that reads “exceeds expectations."
I am the "fat on the bone."
I am being trimmed as a consequence of the popular vote
I am a United States flag raiser and folder
I am my son's "Junior Ranger" idol
I am of the place where I first told my spouse I loved her
I am a college kid’s dream job
I am the smiling face that greets you at the front door
I am your family vacation planner
I am a voice for 19 American Indian cultures
I am the protector of 2500 year old American Indian burial and ceremonial mounds
I am the defender of your public lands and waters - an excerpt of Brian Gibbs' Facebook post

The 1,000 National Park Service workers make up roughly 5% of the entire workforce, which employs over 20,000 people, per NPS' website. The Trump administration has also begun to freeze the hiring of 5,000 seasonal workers as well.

Gibbs was forewarned that cuts could be coming to probationary employees during an early meeting on February 14th, 2025. At 4pm, he found himself locked out of his email, and without any formal notice, had been terminated from his position.

Born in Boone and currently living in Elkader with his wife and son, Gibbs has worked for the National Park Service in seasonal roles for years. He worked at Glacier National Park in Montana before returning closer to home. He told the Des Moines Register that he always loved working outdoors, and his mother and father fostered that love when he was a child.

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This is also the second time Gibbs' position has been eliminated in the past five years. He was a program manager at the natural resources field station in 2020 at the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point when the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in him losing his job. From there, he took the Effigy Mounds gig; one he loved, which was also cut short beyond his control.

When you hear stories about President Donald Trump shrinking the size of the federal workforce, whether you're for it or against it, consider the very real humans this impacts, especially at a time when groceries, gas, and basic necessities are skyrocketing in price.

Read more about Brian Gibbs' story on The Des Moines Register's website.