As Featured in Military.com
We are Veterans Memorial Reef – Veterans Serving Veterans
Veterans Memorial Reef is a nonprofit veteran organization that honors our nation’s veterans by placing them in a unique aquatic memorial, allowing them to be laid to rest at sea. After cremation, a veteran’s cremains are respectfully transferred into an aquatic urn, which is then sealed within a concrete memorial marker. The marker is lowered to the seafloor, where it becomes part of a permanent artificial reef.
Our reef is located off the coast near Carolina Beach and Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. Through this commemoration, we honor the lives and service of veterans while also supporting marine life and helping to strengthen and preserve our coastline.
Our Mission
Our mission is to honor those who have served with distinction in the US Armed Forces. We commemorate their passing through remembrance and emphasize education about the history of the US military—past, present, and future—and our marine ecosystem. This technology will aid in preserving, rehabilitating, and protecting our natural ocean reef ecosystems by integrating artificial memorial markers with reef technologies.
Our Goals
Veterans Memorial Reef is a 501(c) 3 publicly supported non-profit veteran-operated organization. We strive to honor our fallen heroes through memorial services with the following goals in mind.
Recognize
Commemorate
Educate
We work with higher education institutions to use the Veterans Memorial Reef site for monitoring marine biology areas, promoting the preservation and supporting the future growth of marine life.
Rehabilitate
Benefits
Veterans Memorial Reef is not VA Affiliated but we can assist to the best of our ability the surviving spouse, children, or family members with the benefits they may be eligible to receive at the below links.
History
After serving 25 years in the military, first in the U.S. Air Force and later in the Army National Guard as a Deputy Flight Surgeon in North Carolina, Thomas Marcinowski knew he wanted to be buried at sea, connected to the places his boots had touched in service. While reading a National Geographic article about an underwater columbarium, he saw a way to make that vision possible not just for himself, but for fellow veterans and their families as well. From that moment, the concept of Veterans Memorial Reef was born: a permanent, dignified service at sea that honors the entire veteran, not ashes scattered, not remains mixed into concrete, but a full and lasting tribute beneath the water.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Thomas Marcinowski, Founder/CEO
Thomas Marcinowski is a dedicated veteran whose military service began in 1987. He served in Desert Storm and Operation Provide Comfort, supporting humanitarian and rebuilding efforts, before transitioning to the Air Force Reserve and later the North Carolina Army National Guard. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, he served as an infantry battalion aid surgeon and concluded his military career in 2012 as the Deputy State Flight Surgeon of North Carolina.
Today, Thomas serves as a Physician Assistant at the Wilmington VA Health Care Center, where he continues his lifelong commitment to advocating for veterans and standing up for those who need it most.
Joe Irrera, Vice President of Operations
Chris Dehart, Board Member
Chris DeHart is a veteran of the Army National Guard, where he served for eight years, including a 2004 deployment to Iraq as a Specialist and Cavalry Scout. During his deployment, he was selected for a Personal Security Detail responsible for protecting senior leadership and medical staff, where he formed a lasting bond with Thomas Marcinowski while serving as his bodyguard.
Chris serves on the Board of Veterans Memorial Reef and is the owner of All About Energy Solutions, where he has led the company to sustained growth in the energy savings industry. He remains deeply committed to supporting fellow veterans and his community.
Terri Medlin, Chairman
Terri Medlin
Chairman of the Board
Terri Medlin brings a distinguished record of leadership in emergency management, healthcare, and military service to Veterans Memorial Reef. She currently serves as the Deputy Director of Emergency Management for New Hanover County, where she plays a key role in preparedness, response, and incident management for the community.
A Registered Nurse with 23 years of experience, Terri has a strong clinical background in emergency medicine and formerly served seven years as Nurse Manager at the VA Wilmington Healthcare Center. She holds a graduate degree in nursing and has dedicated her professional career to high-stakes environments that require calm leadership, operational discipline, and compassion.
Terri is a 26-year veteran of the United States Coast Guard (O-4), prior enlisted, with extensive experience in search and rescue, law enforcement, incident management, and expeditionary warfare, both overseas and at home. She is currently serving out of Norfolk, Virginia.
In addition to her professional and military service, Terri is a devoted parent of three and remains actively engaged in community outreach, including homeless services, veteran support initiatives, and local community events. Her lifelong commitment to service and leadership aligns strongly with the mission of Veterans Memorial Reef to honor veterans while protecting and restoring coastal ecosystems.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Email us at: contact@veteransmemorialreef.org for more details or assistance.
Administrative Office (By Appointment Only)
7 Beauregard Drive
Wilmington, NC 28412