World Warfare II veteran Jake Larson meets youths throughout ceremonies on the US cemetery to commemorate the 81st anniversary of the D-Day landings, on June 6, 2025 in Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy.
Thomas Padilla/AP
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Thomas Padilla/AP
Jake Larson, a beloved World Warfare II veteran and social media star often known as “Papa Jake” who captivated hundreds of thousands together with his tales, has died. He was 102 years previous.
Papa Jake died “peacefully and was even cracking jokes til the very end,” his granddaughter Mckaela Larson wrote on a TikTok submit Saturday.
“I am so thankful to have shared my Papa Jake with you all. You meant the world to him,” she continued. “When the time is right, I will continue to share Papa Jake’s stories and keep his memory alive. We appreciate all the kind words and posts. As Papa would say, love you all the mostest.”
Born in Owatonna, Minn. on Dec. 20, 1922, Larson joined the Minnesota Nationwide Guard when he was simply 15 years previous by claiming he was 18. He was then assigned to the U.S. Military’s one hundred and thirty fifth Infantry Regiment within the thirty fourth Infantry Division — which is called the “Red Bull.”
On this photograph taken April 29, 2019, D-Day veteran Jake Larson poses earlier than going for a experience within the “The Spirit of Benovia” World Warfare II-era plane in Oakland, Calif.
Eric Risberg/AP
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Eric Risberg/AP
Throughout WWII, Larson was deployed to Eire, after which on June 6, 1944, he was one in all 34,000 Allied troopers to storm Omaha Seashore in the course of the D-Day invasion of German-occupied Normandy.
Lately, Larson’s posts on social media, with the assistance of his household, have gained him a worldwide following. His TikTok web page, with the deal with @storytimewithpapajake, has 1.2 million followers and his posts have greater than 11 million likes. He additionally has greater than 16,000 subscribers on YouTube.
His recollections of the second he landed on Omaha Seashore — the place he escaped enemy machine gun hearth — in addition to different recollections of preventing within the battle have garnered hundreds of thousands of views throughout totally different social media platforms.
“It seemed like that the landing was an eternity, with all the firing going on…. I can’t describe it. And people say, ‘Were you scared?’ I was scared of stepping on a landmine, and that’s what I was trying to prevent,” Larson mentioned in a video posted by the U.S. Military final month. “I was 5 foot 7 at that time. I weighed 120 pounds and I said, ‘Thank God the Germans aren’t good at shooting at toothpicks’.”
Troopers crowd a touchdown craft on their strategy to Omaha Seashore in the course of the Allied Invasion of Europe, “D-Day”, June 6, 1944.
U.S. Military photograph/U.S. Military
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U.S. Military photograph/U.S. Military
Larson understood that the combat got here at a value and super sacrifice. At the least 2,400 American troops died in the course of the invasion on Omaha Seashore.
“There’s going to be casualties but we’re willing to risk that. We had to get this done. We had to relieve the world of this guy called Hitler,” Papa Jake additionally recalled within the video.
Larson obtained a Bronze star from the U.S. Military and the Legion of Honor, France’s highest honor. His interview on D-Day by CNN’s Christiane Amanpour gained an Emmy award in June.
