16-Year-Old Is on a Mission to Repair Every Damaged American Flag He Can

What happens to damaged American flags? Matthew Amatulli, 16, has made it his mission to fix them up.

Matthew, of West Palm Beach, Florida, collects tattered flags and uses his own red, blue and white fabric to patch them back up. “Put the flag in here and then you press the peddle,” the teen told WPEC, demonstrating how he works.

He has had a passion for flag since he was just a boy. “Instead of presents, he would always want flags for birthdays,” his mom Angela said.

Matthew, who is autistic, also learned to sew at a young age, which he found calming, his mother said.

Now, Matthew’s passion is fixing up American flags. When the restoration is complete, he and his mom drive around local businesses looking for empty flag poles to hang them on.

"He is a very old soul and he just loves the American flag,” Angela said.

Matthew now plans to build a business around his flag restoration projects, if only to help offset the costs of materials.

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