R. Courtney Powell II works on a flag-display case in his garage workshop. He donates some of the cases to families of those killed in action. "This is a way to give back because I'm one of them," he says. "Those are my brothers and sisters in arms who are being killed."

Mamta Popat / Arizona Daily Star

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A Rita Ranch resident and disabled veteran is using his knack for woodworking to help Arizona families of soldiers who have died in combat in ongoing wars.

The resident, R. Courtney Powell II, has his own home woodworking business and normally charges for such items as handmade, ceremonial flag display cases. He charges $60 for a single-frame case.

But now he's giving flag display cases away to Arizona families of service members killed in combat during the United States' ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

So far, Powell, 49, has donated four display cases to Arizona families, plus a fifth case for the Hogtoberfest fundraiser that took place in October.

He gave three of them to families through the Arizona Army National Guard 981st Troop Command in Phoenix. Those families were very appreciative that a former guardsman had taken the time to seek them out, said Sgt. 1st Class Courtney Clark.

"The workmanship on them is absolutely beautiful," she said, referring to the cases.

Powell gave a fourth one to the family of a Tucson veteran he had known.

Now Powell wants to reach out to more families of service members killed in ongoing wars.

"This is a way to give back because I'm one of them," he said. "Those are my brothers and sisters in arms who are being killed."

Powell served twice in the military — first in the Army in the 1980s, during which time he was injured.

Despite his injury, the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks prompted him to enlist in the Arizona Army National Guard in 2002 at age 43 because he knew the armed forces would need people in uniform with his skills in electronics and communications, he said.

"I wanted to serve God and country," he said.

Powell was deployed for more than 15 months, 12 of which he spent in the Middle East. He was injured again — that time more severely, he said.

Powell is a hard worker, said Clark, who was deployed with him.

"He's very outgoing — a very likeable man," she said. "He's very easy to relate to; he has a great sense of humor."

Powell returned home in 2004 and now works as a computer and network technician for the state, while doing woodworking on the side.

He calls his home business "Euromerican Woodworks" because he is of Celtic descent, and his wife, Désirée, is from Sweden. They met in 1991 while he was in Germany.

In addition to being a disabled veteran and craftsman, Powell is also a father.

He has eight children — six of them boys — ranging in age from 1 to 14, and a 25-year-old from an earlier marriage.