TRUFANT, Mich. — A Trufant, Michigan man has spent nearly 20 years handcrafting wooden Purple Heart plaques to honor those who were wounded or killed in combat, and he has no plans to stop.
Doug Pickel has made more than 500 plaques by hand out of his woodshop, dedicating anywhere between 50 to 70 hours of work to each one.
"This is what Memorial Day is all about. It's honoring that sacrifice, and nothing says sacrifice more than the Purple Heart metal," Pickel said.
Every detail of the plaques was meticulously thought out, including the specific types of wood Pickel uses to craft them.
WATCH: Trufant man handcrafts more than 500 Purple Heart plaques to honor fallen heroes
"The maple, that symbolizes because of its whiteness, symbolizes purity," Pickel said.
He also incorporates Padukwood from Africa, which turns a deep red when lacquer is applied.
"When the lacquer hits them, they turn brilliant red, and it's hard to not mistake it for blood," Pickel said.
Additional wood varieties carry their own symbolic meaning.
Pickel also uses zebra wood and Sapili wood, also known as Pamela wood, explaining that the lacquer brings out waves in the grain.
“It’s symbolic of the waves of soldiers, or military who throughout our time, 250 years, have been going into harm's way to defend our constitution, our very freedoms," Pickel said.
The centerpiece of each plaque is made from purple heart wood sourced from South America.
"That's the original color of the wood, that's for everybody who's fallen and all of our POWs and MIAs," Pickel said.
Pickel said the countless hours he spends in the woodshop come naturally.
"It's a pride thing, and it's a pure love of doing it so, I mean, I sit here for hours and hours," Pickel said.
The greatest reward, he said, comes from the families who receive the plaques.
"The greatest satisfaction for me comes when you see the smiles and tears and that mama holding their son and knowing that somebody did something for them that really they've never been given," Pickel said.
After nearly two decades, Pickel said the mission behind each plaque remains unchanged.
"They always say you die twice. First time you leave the physical world, the second time- the last time your name is spoken,” Pickel said. “They deserve better than that so I get to create something that lasts for generations.”
He said continuing the work is also a way to fight against a fading national memory.
"There's nobody else doing it, and people are forgetting. It's become a way to combat the short-term memory loss this country has, and that's sad, because when you forget your history, you're doomed to make those same mistakes again," Pickel said.
And Pickel doesn’t intend to walk away from the woodshop any time soon.
"I don't see myself ever stopping. I won't. I'll do it until I can physically, mentally be taken off of this earth before I will stop doing it," Pickel said.
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