D-Day Veteran and TikTok Sensation “Papa Jake” Larson Dies at 102
PARIS — jake Larson, a World War II veteran who gained a important following on TikTok late in life by sharing his wartime experiences, has passed away at the age of 102. Larson, known affectionately as “Papa Jake,” survived intense German gunfire on Normandy’s bluffs during the D-Day invasion in 1944 and later amassed 1.2 million followers on the social media platform, where he commemorated the war and honored his fallen comrades.
Tributes have poured in from across the United States, where Larson resided in Lafayette, California, and from communities in Normandy, France, which remain indebted to the Allied forces for their liberation from Nazi occupation. His granddaughter, McKaela Larson, announced his passing on his social media accounts, stating, “Our beloved Papa Jake has passed away on July 17th at 102 years young.He went peacefully and was even cracking jokes til the vrey end.” she concluded her message with his signature sign-off, “As papa would say, love you all the mostest.”
Born December 20, 1922, in Owatonna, Minnesota, Larson enlisted in the National Guard in 1938 at the age of 15, having misrepresented his age. By January 1942, he was stationed in Northern Ireland, where he served as an operations sergeant and was instrumental in preparing the planning documents for the Normandy invasion.
Larson was among the Allied troops who landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944, enduring heavy machine-gun fire. He reached the bluffs overlooking the beach,which were heavily fortified with German gun emplacements that inflicted significant casualties on American soldiers,without injury.
Following his participation in the D-Day landings, Larson continued to fight through the Battle of the Bulge. In recent years, he made multiple return trips to normandy to participate in D-day commemoration ceremonies. Speaking at the 81st anniversary of D-Day in June, amidst the graves at the American cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach, Larson told The Associated Press, “We are the lucky ones. They had no family. We are their family. We have the responsibility to honor these guys who gave us a chance to be alive.”
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