North Carolina Nonprofit Honors Veterans with Unique Reef Burial

A nonprofit in North Carolina has created a unique process of honoring deceased veterans while also caring for the environment. 

The Idea for a Memorial

The idea began when Thomas Marcinowski, a veteran, read a story in National Geographic magazine featuring an underwater columbarium designed to replicate the Lost City of Atlantis. From there, he founded the Veterans Memorial Reef, believing families could honor their lost veterans in a similar fashion, according to Vivian Yuditsky, the nonprofit’s media coordinator and executive assistant. 

“He had long wanted a burial at sea to ‘touch all the places his boots had walked’ in service,” Yuditsky told the StarNews in Wilmington, North Carolina. “Instead of simply scattering ashes, he envisioned a better approach: placing the entire cremains into an aquatic urn he designed, so a veteran’s final act could also help build a living reef habitat.” 

Marcinowski served in the military from 1987-2012 and was deployed to Operation Desert Storm. He now works at the Wilmington VA hospital as a physician assistant. Veterans Memorial Reef’s leadership group also includes Vice President of Operations Joe Irrera, a retired Marine Corps colonel, and board member Chris Dehart, a veteran of the Army National Guard. 

How Does the Memorial Work? 

The building process includes an aquatic urn decorated in the colors of the veteran’s service branch and features a plaque with the veteran’s name. After the urn is constructed, it’s placed in a memorial marker made from eco-friendly cement. 

Once the marker is ready, families are welcomed to attend a three-day ceremony. In a memorial that Yuditsky calls a “blend of logistics and love,” the event kicks off on Friday and concludes on Monday. 

“Eco-friendly cement is poured over the urn to seal it, creating a kind of time capsule where family members can place tokens, mementos, and even leave their handprints or messages in the wet cement,” Yuditsky said. “Because the cement must cure overnight, the following day is devoted to the Fallen Heroes ceremony, a time for remembrance, honors, and storytelling.” 

The third and final day is devoted to the veteran’s dedication at sea. The reef is located about five miles off the coast near Wilmington and families can travel to the site if they wish to see the marker attached to the reef. Formerly known as the “Five-Mile Boxcar Reef,” the site was chosen as a sustainable spot by the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries. 

Ceremonies Bring Closure 

The Veterans Memorial Reef ceremony is only held once a year in May. This year’s ceremony recognized 10 veterans, according to Yuditsky, which is the highest amount allowed to properly honor veterans and allow each family to take part in the special event. 

“The ceremonies bring real closure for the families as they grieve and share their veteran’s story,” Yuditsky said. 

She went on to say the memorial offers a “deeper solace” to families as many believe their special veteran will continue to “live” off the reef’s habitat. 

Since the ceremonies started a few years ago, the process has touched organizers emotionally. Yuditsky said the story of Joseph McDonald, a Vietnam War veteran, was especially moving. After McDonald died, he didn’t have any family in the area to honor him. Friends reached out to Veterans Memorial Reef to see if something could be done. 

“Joseph had earned several medals for his service in Vietnam, and with special permission, Veterans Memorial Reef was able to obtain his DD214 so he could be properly honored,” Yuditsky said. “To think that he might have been laid to rest quietly, without anyone knowing the courage and sacrifice he showed, it hit me deeply. Now, he rests with his brothers and sisters out on the reef, surrounded by life, continuing his service in a new way.”