The Martinez City Council has approved a new public art project honoring World War II veteran “Papa Jake” Larson with a full-figure bronze statue to be installed at Plaza Ignacio in front of City Hall. The life-size sculpture, created by acclaimed artist Paula B. Slater, will stand on a three-foot decorated base and is scheduled to be unveiled on Veterans Day 2026. The project, estimated to cost $200,000, will be entirely funded through private donations.
To help make the memorial possible, community members can quite literally leave their mark in history by purchasing an engraved brick that will become part of the monument’s base. The personalized bricks, available on a first-come, first-served basis, come in two sizes—4”x8” for $200 and 12”x12” for $2,500—and all purchases are fully tax-deductible. Proceeds will directly support the construction of the statue. To buy a brick or learn more about Larson’s extraordinary life, visit PapaJakeLarson.com.
Sculptor Paula B. Slater, who also created the bronze of Don Salvio Pacheco in Concord’s Todos Santos Plaza, told councilmembers, “This I feel will be one of my crowning achievements.” Slater has sculpted more than four dozen bronze portraits across the country.
Jake Larson, born December 20, 1922, in Owatonna, Minnesota, enlisted in the National Guard at just 15 years old after lying about his age. During World War II, he served in the 34th Infantry Division and later with V Corps G3, where he earned “BIGOT” clearance – a classification above Top Secret – and helped plan the D-Day landings at Omaha Beach. He survived six major WWII battles, including Omaha Beach, Saint-Lô, the Falaise Gap, the liberation of Paris, Luxembourg, and the Battle of the Bulge. His valor earned him the Bronze Star and France’s Légion d’honneur, the nation’s highest award.
In his later years, “Papa Jake” became a beloved public figure, gaining worldwide attention for his engaging storytelling and interviews about the war. In June 2025, he won a News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Interview – Short Form for a moving CNN segment with Christiane Amanpour. On his 102nd birthday, Disneyland named him an honorary citizen and presented him with a lifetime pass during a special celebration. Since 2019, the Best Defense Foundation, in partnership with Delta Air Lines, had flown him annually to Normandy for D-Day commemorations, honoring him as one of the last living heroes of the invasion. Larson passed away in July 2025 at the age of 102. The memorial is being developed in partnership with the Best Defense Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting military veterans and their families.
I love it when they honor WWII vets, there aren’t too many of them left, and they truly were
the Greatest Generation. When their country called, they went and didn’t whine about it.
When I was growing up, just about every adult man I encountered, served in the war. My
Dad and all my uncles also served, and a lot of women worked at the shipyards, and now most of them are gone. My Dad’s ship, a light cruiser, the USS Nashville, was hit by a kamikaze attack that killed 133 sailors, and injured 190. The ship managed to steam back
to Seattle for repairs.