Carl Spurlin Dekle (WWII veteran, viral interview)
Carl Spurlin Dekle (1922–2022) was a Florida Marine and World War II veteran whose tearful interview on his 100th birthday was widely shared, and reposted again in 2025–26. Spurlin, his middle name, was his mother's maiden name.
Sourcing: mixed 4 news · 1 genealogy · 1 reference · 2 social · 1 snippet
Carl Spurlin Dekle was a U.S. Marine veteran of World War II from central Florida. His emotional interview on his 100th birthday in 2022 spread widely online. His middle name was Spurlin; some coverage spells his surname "Dekel".[1][2]
Life and service
The obituary transcribed on Dekle's Find a Grave memorial explains his middle name: his mother was Sallie Lanora (née Spurlin) Dekle (1892–1980).[3] According to the memorial, he was born on 29 June 1922 in Palatka, Florida, and moved to Lakeland at the age of six.[3] The Deseret News reports that he was from Lakeland, enlisted in September 1940, and turned 100 on June 29, 2022.[2] The memorial says he served as a sergeant in the Marine Corps from 1940 to 1945.[3] FOX 13 Tampa Bay reports that he deployed to several overseas locations during the war and that the Silver Star was the "pride and joy" of his decorations.[1]
The viral interview
FOX 13 interviewed Dekle around his 100th birthday. In the interview he said that serving his country was an honor he would repeat. He also cried as he said that "the things we fought for and the boys that died for it, it's all gone down the drain."[1][2] Yahoo News, RealClearPolitics and other outlets republished or reported on the clip in July 2022.[4][5]
Death and burial
FOX 13 reported on 10 August 2022 that Dekle had died early that Wednesday morning, according to his family, less than two months after his birthday celebration in Plant City.[1] The obituary on his Find a Grave memorial and his IMDb name page both give his death as 9 August 2022 in Plant City, a day earlier.[3][6] The obituary says a memorial service was held on 13 August 2022 and was followed by interment with full military honors. The memorial places his grave in Oak Hill Burial Park, Lakeland.[3]
Reposts and later attention
The video spread again years later. NowThis Impact posted the interview on X on January 26, 2025, noting that Dekle had died in August 2022, shortly after the interview first aired. The post had about 14,700 views by September 2026.[7] The same outlet posted it on TikTok on April 7, 2026. By September 2026 that video showed about 6.2 million plays, 884,000 likes, 11,300 comments and 42,200 shares.[8] According to its Google search listing, a 2026 post in the Reddit community r/TheMatpatEffect identified the man shown in a clickbait advertisement as Dekle.[9]
IMDb has a name page for him as Carl Dekle. All of his credits there are archive footage. They include episodes of the talk programs Outsiders and Paul Murray Live (both crediting him as "Carl Dekel"), Black Conservative Perspective, and the Candace Owens podcast.[6] See also Spurlins in film and television.
See also
- Spurlins on TikTok · Culture weak
How the Spurlin name appears on TikTok: a scam-awareness creator account, music by a Spurlin artist offered as a sound, and a widely shared clip of a World War II veteran. - Spurlins in film and television · Culture strong
A roundup of on-screen and behind-the-scenes credits under the Spurlin name, from a 1930s Hollywood property man to present-day actors, producers and crew, mostly drawn from IMDb, plus fictional Spurlin characters found through IMDb's character search. - Spurlin centenarians and longevity claims · Genealogy weak
Family trees, grave memorials and old newspapers credit several Spurlins with lifespans of more than 100 years. Census ages often disagree with these claims. This entry sets each claim beside the records found so far and lists modern centenarians covered in the press. - Spurlin on Reddit and online forums · Culture weak
Where the Spurlin name comes up in online discussion: Reddit threads about Spurlin athletes, a band director and a dog breeder, long-running genealogy message boards, and a few other platforms that were checked. - Spurlins in the World Wars · History strong
Five Army soldiers surnamed Spurlin, from Alabama, Arizona, North Carolina and Texas, appear on the War Department's 1946 lists of World War II dead. Two are buried in American Battle Monuments Commission cemeteries in Italy and the Philippines. - Spurlins on YouTube · Culture weak
An overview of public YouTube channels connected to the Spurlin name. They include music, entertainment, car-restoration, farm and podcast channels, plus many small personal channels.
References
- ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ Florida WWII veteran dies 2 months after 100th birthday — FOX 13 Tampa Bay — published Aug. 10, 2022; "passed away early Wednesday morning" News
- ↑ ↑ ↑ On 100th birthday, WWII vet Carl Spurlin Dekel talks sacrifice, America — Deseret News — July 7, 2022 News
- ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ SGT Carl Spurlin "Spur" Dekle (1922–2022) — Find a Grave Memorial — obituary; mother Sallie Lanora Spurlin Dekle; service 13 Aug 2022; Oak Hill Burial Park Genealogy
- ↑ Tearful WWII vet says on his 100th birthday that current state of America is 'not what they died for' — Yahoo News News
- ↑ 100-Year-Old WW2 Veteran Breaks Down — RealClearPolitics News
- ↑ ↑ Carl Dekle — IMDb — Birth and death dates, place of death, archive-footage credits Reference
- ↑ NowThis Impact on X: U.S. Marine Carl Spurlin Dekle, a 100-year-old World War II veteran, broke down... — Jan. 26, 2025 Social
- ↑ NowThis Impact — TikTok video on Carl Spurlin Dekle — posted April 7, 2026; counts read September 2026 Social
- ↑ The man in this annoying clickbait ad is actually WW2 Veteran Carl Spurlin Dekle — r/TheMatpatEffect, Reddit — Google search listing only; Reddit blocks automated reading Snippet
Last reviewed 2026-09-24.