Travellers passing through Saint John Airport may notice something quietly powerful in the display cases in the terminal. The hand tools and finely crafted wood pieces on exhibit are more than works of art – they are stories of healing, purpose and resilience.
The display features work from The Purple Heart Project, founded by Grand Bay-Westfield master woodworker Rob Cosman. The initiative brings combat-wounded veterans from different corners of the world to New Brunswick to learn traditional hand-tool woodworking – and, in the process, find calm, focus and connection.
Rob says the idea took shape after a conversation years ago with a U.S. Marine that stuck with him.
“He told me woodworking was the first time he’d found peace from both the physical and mental pain he was living with,” Rob says. “That stopped me cold. I thought, maybe this is something we should be doing.”
The Purple Heart Project now runs six intensive, week-long sessions each year at Cosman’s purpose-built facility in Grand Bay. Veterans travel from Canada, the United States, Australia, Denmark and Ireland. Their costs are fully covered – travel, accommodations, meals – and each participant returns home with a handcrafted workbench and about $5,000 worth of premium tools.
“It’s not about fixing PTSD – as far as I know, there is no cure,” Rob says. “But this works. And instead of trying to figure out why it works, we just keep doing it.”
Hand-tool woodworking demands full attention. Unlike machines, every cut, joint and adjustment depends on the person holding the tool. That focus, Rob says, creates what some call “distractive therapy” – a state where the mind is fully engaged and the noise fades.
The exhibit at YSJ includes four display cases, each featuring a piece created by a veteran who has completed the program, along with their photo. Together, they represent veterans from Canada, the United States, Australia and Denmark.
Cosman approached the airport after noticing its rotating local art displays.
“I thought, why not show what these veterans have made – and tell their story,” he says.
For YSJ, the exhibit aligns naturally with the airport’s role as a community connector – a place where people arrive, depart and, sometimes, pause.
As Rob puts it, “Everybody knows someone who’s connected to a wounded veteran. If this makes people stop and think – even for a moment – then it’s worth it.”
