Veterans Memorial Reef holds 2nd annual Our Fallen Heroes memorial ceremony honoring veterans

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A local nonprofit held its second annual Our Fallen Heroes Memorial Ceremony on Saturday, where they recognized and honored eight local veterans, and will soon lay them to rest at sea.

The ceremony was held at the USS North Carolina Battleship Park. During the ceremony, a military honor guard conducted flag presentations to the veterans’ families.

Veterans Memorial Reef Place the cremated remains of the eight veterans in aquatic urns, that will be placed in their final resting place at sea.

The urns will become a part of existing ocean reefs, and provide a habitat for fish and sea creatures, allowing a deceased veteran to continue to live as part of an ever-dynamic ecosystem.

Veterans memorial reef has a 160- acre area off the coast of Carolina Beach and Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina.

“My father, Fritz Ackermann, he passed away in December of last year, and we’re really happy to have such a great way to honor him. He was a sailor, he just loved the water, and everything like that, and I know that he would be thrilled to be able to continue to make the world a better place,” said Margot Ackerman, daughter of veteran F.P. Ackermann III.

“It’s a continuing legacy for the veterans and the family, and we have families that will actually go out to the reef site and they’ll fish. We’ll have people that will go out to the reef site and dive on it, so it’s a continuing legacy,” said Joe Irrera, Veterans Memorial Reef president.

The veterans’ aquatic urns will be laid to rest at sea Monday, May 23,  joining the aquatic urns of seven other veterans that were placed last year.