At 98, Ross Longo has a new source of support: the Lake Placid, Florida, neighbor who has known him for more than two decades and whose family recently brought him into their home. The move has also helped introduce Longo to a large online audience. Before becoming a social media presence, he had lied about his age to join the Navy at 15, served in two wars, and worked as a truck driver, carpenter, and country singer.
Sevastian Munguia-Barajas has been Longo's neighbor for over 20 years, according to the New York Post. Last month, Munguia-Barajas's family moved Longo into their home after deciding he had no nearby relatives of his own. Longo has said the family adopted him, and he adopted them right back; Munguia-Barajas now considers him his grandfather, per the Post's reporting.
The family’s move was also a response to Longo needing more help with daily activities, according to a GoFundMe campaign organized by Munguia-Barajas. “Recently, due to his age and increasing difficulty managing everyday activities independently, we moved him into our home,” Munguia-Barajas wrote on the fundraiser page. He says the family bought Longo a new recliner, bedroom furnishings, bedding, and other items to help him settle in.
A Neighbor's Care Becomes a Public Story
Munguia-Barajas began documenting their everyday activities on TikTok and Instagram in 2025 through accounts called Your98YearOldVet, the Post reports. He recalled that an early video of the pair’s day together drew roughly one million views overnight. The accounts now show Longo sharing advice, joining restaurant outings and holiday celebrations, and helping fellow veterans. The GoFundMe page says the videos have introduced him to hundreds of thousands of people: “Through these videos, hundreds of thousands of people have gotten to know Ross,” the fundraiser states.
The online attention has also accompanied local efforts to help other veterans. Munguia-Barajas and Longo have donated Longo's used recliners and a scooter to veterans in Highlands County, home to the two men and roughly 15,000 veterans, according to the Post. They have also helped a Vietnam veteran who lives alone while battling cancer. Munguia-Barajas says he often pays for a veteran's breakfast to show appreciation. The Post reports that Fosters Outriders awarded him a Good Neighbor grant.
A Navy Career That Started With a Lie
Longo's own story began long before social media existed. Born in Connecticut to Italian immigrant parents and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, he enlisted in the Navy in 1943 at just 15 years old — two years below the minimum enlistment age of 17 — by lying about his age, following his older brother into the service, according to the Post's account. He went on to serve for six-and-a-half years, deploying to Europe during World War II and later to Korea during the Korean War.
In Korea, Longo injured himself after running from a landing craft and jumping into a bomb crater, the Post reports. Per Munguia-Barajas, he was knocked unconscious, broke eight ribs, and was evacuated by helicopter to a hospital ship. After leaving the Navy, Longo moved back into his parents' home in St. Louis and cycled through a string of jobs — truck driver, carpenter, and country singer — landing the singing gig after auditioning with Hank Williams's “Your Cheatin' Heart.” He reportedly earned $340 a week crooning, more than three times what he'd made driving a dump truck. Longo has also been married and divorced twice, according to the Post.
Fundraiser Covers Care Costs as Fan Mail Pours In
Munguia-Barajas says Longo's pension and Social Security income do not cover all his needs, and that he started the GoFundMe after people asked how they could help. The campaign has raised more than $31,000 for in-home caregivers, groceries, and other expenses, per the Post. Munguia-Barajas says he holds power of attorney for Longo and is on his bank account. On the fundraiser's top donations page, he explained how he uses the funds: “Rather than simply giving him cash, I use the money to purchase necessary supplies, pay for caregiving and other services,” he wrote, adding that donations are intended to benefit Longo and cover expenses tied to his care and daily living.
Where families can turn for guidance
For older adults and caregivers seeking local information, Senior Connection Center says it serves Highlands County and four other Florida counties as the Area Agency on Aging and Aging & Disability Resource Center. The Florida Department of Elder Affairs says its Elder Helpline provides information and assistance about elder services and activities in each Florida county. The Florida Bar explains that someone acting as an agent under a power of attorney is a fiduciary with duties to the principal. That general guidance does not establish the details of Longo’s arrangement, but it describes the responsibilities associated with the role.
The viral attention has also brought a flood of fan mail from as far away as Australia and Hawaii, something Munguia-Barajas says still surprises Longo. Companies have taken notice too — Omaha Steaks, Crocs, Stouffer's, and Gatorade have all sent gifts, according to the Post's reporting.
No Medicine, Plenty of Spinach, and a Cold Beer
For a man closing in on a century of life, Longo's daily habits are notably simple. He doesn't take any medicine, Munguia-Barajas says, and credits part of that to a diet heavy on spinach. Longo drank a beer every day up until about six months before the Post's report, favoring Miller Lite or Modelo. The pair plan to mark Veterans Day together with a meal and one of Longo's favorite beers.
Longo has said that serving his country remains an honor that means a great deal to him. His life now includes a new kind of public attention, while the neighbor relationship behind it continues to involve everyday care and support.
