{"id":1117,"date":"2025-08-09T06:27:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-09T06:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldculturepictorial.com\/wcp-blog\/?p=1117"},"modified":"2025-08-17T02:45:03","modified_gmt":"2025-08-17T02:45:03","slug":"world-war-ii-d-day-veteran-tiktok-star-papa-jake-102-1922-2025-to-be-honored-at-normandy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldculturepictorial.com\/wcp-blog\/world-war-ii-d-day-veteran-tiktok-star-papa-jake-102-1922-2025-to-be-honored-at-normandy\/","title":{"rendered":"World War ii D-Day Veteran and TikTok star “Papa Jake”, 102 (1922-2025), to be honored at Normandy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\nWWII veteran, TikTok star “Papa Jake” Larson to be honored in Normandy<\/a>
\nFamilies in Normandy, France, are getting ready to celebrate the life of “Papa Jake” Larson \u2014 a Minnesota native and war hero. He helped plan the D-Day invasion at Omaha Beach, and later became a TikTok sensation. He died at the age of 102.

\n\nA farm boy from Hope Township, Minnesota, “Papa Jake” lied about his age so he could join the National Guard at the age of 15, and he later found himself in World War II. He knew as much about typewriters as he did about guns, so with military leaders by his side, he helped type up the plans for D-Day. “Every person who landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day… came through these fingers,” said Papa Jake during a 2024 interview.

\n\nLater in life, he became a TikTok star. And at the age of 95, he began making yearly trips to Normandy. WCCO caught up with him last year in France, for the 80th anniversary of D-Day. “They treat me like a celebrity and I’m just a farm boy from Hope, Minnesota. It’s crazy. It’s plain crazy,” he said. But his real reason for the trips was to honor his fellow soldiers who never made it home. “They are my buddies. They’re up there right now,” he said. “They’re up there waiting for me.”

\n\nThe beloved veteran often called himself “the luckiest man in the world.”<\/a>
\nBorn in Minnesota in 1922, Larson enlisted underage in the National Guard, later surviving German gunfire in Normandy in 1944. In his 90s, he began sharing stories of his time at war and experiences with fallen comrades, capturing millions of hearts on TikTok and making global headlines.

\n\nIn an interview with the AP, Larson spoke about the horrors of war, urging world leaders to “make peace.” Just three weeks ago, he co-won an Emmy award with journalist Christiane Amanpour for their interview marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

\n\nLarson would often call himself “the luckiest man in the world.” Following the news, tributes to Papa Jake trickled in from across the United States. Towns in Normandy paid homage to the veteran too; Larson had made repeated trips to the region to commemorate D-Day. “I am so thankful to have shared my Papa Jake with you all,” Larson’s granddaughter continued. “You meant the world to him. As Papa would say, love you all the mostest.”

\n\nJake\u2019s wartime experiences continued at the Battle of the Bulge, where he was on duty the night the Germans launched their surprise attack.<\/a> He helped sound the alarm, waking senior commanders and alerting frontline divisions just before tanks rolled in. He worked 12-hour night shifts with little rest, all while dodging flares, enemy aircraft, and artillery. \u201cMy foxhole buddy\u2019s rifle was split in two by shrapnel,\u201d Jake said. \u201cIf he hadn\u2019t laid it on my litter, it would\u2019ve been me.\u201d

\n\nfter the war, Jake returned home to Minnesota, attended trade school, and married Lola\u2014the woman who had clipped his photo from a local newspaper years before and carried it in her wallet. They raised a family and moved to California. In his later years, Jake chronicled his experiences in a memoir titled The Luckiest Man in the World, a name he lived up to. \u201cI fought in six battles, saw men die all around me, and came out without a scratch,\u201d he said. \u201cI got a discharge before the war ended, met the love of my life, and lived to 100. How do you explain that?\u201d

\n\nJake\u2019s legacy didn\u2019t end with the war. In his 90s, he became a TikTok sensation thanks to his granddaughter, McKaela, who began recording his stories during the pandemic. Millions of followers came to know and love \u201cPapa Jake\u201d for his warmth, humor, and unshakable sense of gratitude. \u201cI don\u2019t believe in negativity anymore,\u201d he said. \u201cGod, I am so fortunate. I\u2019m just a farm boy from Hope, Minnesota. And I\u2019m still here.\u201d

\n\nThe Luckiest Man in the World recounted not just his wartime experiences but also the miracles that followed. \u201cA fall cured me of the shakes from PTSD,\u201d he said. \u201cAn operation fixed my color blindness.\u201d He counted his blessings in generations: \u201cNine grandchildren. Eleven great-grandchildren. I\u2019ve even got a grandson who\u2019s a grandfather.\u201d

\n\nLarson\u2019s stories weren\u2019t about glorifying war but remembering sacrifice, love, and survival. He was a witness, a teacher, and a grandfather to the world. When asked the secret to longevity, he whispered, \u201cDon\u2019t die.\u201d Then he smiled.

\n\nJake Larson, a World War II veteran who stormed Omaha Beach on D-Day, was known to his family and friends as \u201cPapa Jake,\u201d a good-natured grandfather and avid storyteller.<\/a> Thanks to a hugely popular social media presence, Larson\u2019s stories and optimism were also shared online with millions of fans and followers.

\n\nLarson died July 17 at the age of 102, according to his social media accounts, which are managed by his granddaughter McKaela Larson. \u201cPlease know, he went peacefully and was even cracking jokes till the very end,\u201d she said in the post.

\n\nLarson\u2019s internet fame started with the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of self-isolation efforts, McKaela, a cruise ship dancer, spent a great deal of her time in the family\u2019s Martinez, Calif., home with her grandfather. That\u2019s when she created his TikTok account, according to family members.

\n\nIt became hugely popular. The TikTok account, @storytimewithpapajake, amassed more than 1 million followers and over 11 million likes. His large following meant Larson\u2019s stories were shared worldwide. In addition to a massive online following, he recently won an Emmy for an interview about the anniversary of D-Day with CNN. Last July, he was invited on stage at a Zac Brown concert at the Oakland Coliseum. In November, he visited Disneyland for the first time, where he was named an \u201chonorary citizen.\u201d

\n\nThe stories he told on the account ranged from the frightening to the hopeful. He recounted climbing off the ramp of the boat that dropped him off on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944, and watching his fellow troops step in land mines while trying to avoid German machine-gun fire. \u201cI was more afraid of stepping on a mine than I was of the gunfire coming at us,\u201d he said in a 2022 post. In another TikTok post, Larson is asked for the best advice he ever received. \u201cDon\u2019t ever give up,\u201d he said. \u201cAlways do the best you can in life.\u201d

\n\nOut of the 16.4 million Americans who served in World War II, only 66,143 were still living as of 2024, according to the National WWII Museum. Family members described Larson as an infinitely compassionate and optimistic soul who was always \u201cquick to tell you how much he loves you,\u201d his granddaughter Krista Paulson said in an interview with The Times. \u201cHe made people feel like they were a part of his family,\u201d Paulson said. \u201cIt\u2019s crazy to just share him … to be able to say that he was ours, but so proud to know that everyone wanted to be a part of his life.\u201d

\n\n\u201cHe wasn\u2019t comfortable talking about it,\u201d his grandson Mike Larson said. \u201cBecause, let\u2019s be honest, back in his day, no one talked about PTSD. … Once he started opening up, I think it helped him.\u201d Mike Larson said he believed his grandfather\u2019s presence on TikTok allowed other veterans to accept that there is a life after their military service.

\n\nHe recounted a time at Disneyland, when a man serving in the Marine Corps hovered around Jake and his family, who were preparing for a photo shoot. Mike Larson said he recognized that the man was in the service and offered to introduce him to his grandfather. After a hearty conversation, the man reached out his hand, and Larson immediately pulled him into a big hug. Mike said he saw tears streaming down the Marine\u2019s face. \u201cPeople don\u2019t realize that, you never know what that guy was going through,\u201d Mike said, breaking down in tears. \u201cThat one conversation could\u2019ve saved that guy\u2019s life.\u201d

\n\n(unquote)

\n\nImage courtesy Lou Benoist \/ AFP via Getty Images<\/a> and Lou Benoist \/ AFP via Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(quote) WWII veteran, TikTok star “Papa Jake” Larson to be honored in Normandy Families in Normandy, France, are getting ready to celebrate the life of “Papa Jake” Larson \u2014 a Minnesota native and war hero. He helped plan the D-Day invasion at Omaha Beach, and later became a TikTok sensation.Read More →<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,8,10,12],"tags":[36,26,27,25,18,86,52,28,60,88,85],"class_list":["entry","author-wcp-story-teller","post-1117","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-figures-and-facts","category-life-nature-society","category-quotes-and-philosophy","category-us-and-world","tag-events","tag-facts","tag-figures","tag-history","tag-life","tag-military","tag-people","tag-places","tag-true-story","tag-war","tag-world-war-ii"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldculturepictorial.com\/wcp-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldculturepictorial.com\/wcp-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldculturepictorial.com\/wcp-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldculturepictorial.com\/wcp-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldculturepictorial.com\/wcp-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1117"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worldculturepictorial.com\/wcp-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1117\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldculturepictorial.com\/wcp-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldculturepictorial.com\/wcp-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldculturepictorial.com\/wcp-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}