An animated speaker who charmed strangers young and old with his quick smile and generous hugs, the self-described country boy from Hope Township, Minnesota, was "cracking jokes til the end," his granddaughter wrote in announcing his death.
Tributes to him quickly filled his "Story Time with Papa Jake" TikTok account from across the United States, where he had been living in Lafayette, California. Towns around Normandy, still grateful to Allied forces who helped defeat the occupying Nazis in World War II, paid him homage too.
FILE - In this photo taken April 29, 2019, D-Day veteran Jake Larson poses before going for a ride in the "The Spirit of Benovia" World War II-era aircraft in Oakland, California. Eric Risberg / AP"As Papa would say, love you all the mostest," she wrote.
In 1942, he was sent overseas and was stationed in Northern Ireland. He became operations sergeant and assembled the planning books for the invasion of Normandy.
"It changed my life. It raised me right up to the top," he told CBS Minnesota in an interview prior to his death. "Every person that landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day, came through these fingers. These fingers I'm showing you right now."
FILE - U.S. veteran SSgt. Jake M. Larson talks to a girl who wears an American flag around her neck during a gathering in preparation of the 79th D-Day anniversary in La Fiere, Normandy, France, June 4, 2023. Thomas Padilla / AP"We are the lucky ones," Larson told The Associated Press at the 81st anniversary of D-Day in June, speaking amid the immaculate rows of graves at the American cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach.
He went on to fight through the Battle of the Bulge, a grueling month-long fight in Belgium and Luxembourg that was one of the defining moments of the war and of Hitler's defeat. His service earned him a Bronze Star and a French Legion of Honor award.
One memorable encounter came in 2023, when he came across Bill Gladden, a then-99-year-old British veteran who survived a glider landing on D-Day and a bullet that tore through his ankle.
In his TikTok posts and interviews, Larson combined humorous anecdotes with somber reminders about the horrors of war.
He often called himself "the luckiest man in the world," and expressed awe at all the attention he was getting. "I'm just a country boy. Now I'm a star on TikTok," he told AP in 2023. "I'm a legend! I didn't plan this, it came about."
"He was an exceptional witness and bearer of memory," the Overlord Museum posted on Facebook.
"Thanks for everything."
Hence then, the article about papa jake d day veteran and beloved tiktok star dies at 102 was published today ( ) and is available on CBS sacramento ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( "Papa Jake," D-Day veteran and beloved TikTok star, dies at 102 )
Also on site :
- Nokia Strengthens Edge AI Capabilities Through Strategic Collaboration with Blaize on Hybrid Inference Solutions Across Asia Pacific Regions
- 7 ‘Old-School’ Parenting Phrases Boomers Still Use That Can Come Across as Dismissive
- This New Alaska Cruise Excursion Lets You Get Surprisingly Close to Moose