San Diego, California - A Navy veteran shared a touching message after getting his first-ever tattoo at the ripe old age of 84!

"Back in the day, I always said that I wanted a tattoo," Kenny Jary said in an interview with Business Insider.

"I was in the United States Navy, and everyone had tattoos. But I wasn't really ready for it."

Jary brushed off any talk of pain.

"If anything, it felt like a little kid scratching. It's just a small tattoo, one that I wanted to represent the United States Navy."

The Minnesota resident was surprised with a trip to San Diego by his friends Amanda and Jenny, who booked him an appointment with celebrity tattoo artist Joey Hamilton of Ink Masters fame.

His ink contains a tribute to the important people in his life: "There's an anchor, and then it has three stars to represent Minnesota. There are three rings to represent my three kids and our group of three: me, Amanda, and Jenny,"

Jary revealed the tattoo on his Instagram account shortly after getting it in January 2026 and shared an inspiring message with his followers.

"I know sometimes things can be scary in life, and I know you're trying to protect me," he wrote.

"But if there's something you want to do, get out and do it because none of us knows which day will be our last."