D-Day veteran ″Papa Jake″ Larson, who survived German gunfire on Normandy's bluffs in 1944 and then garnered 1.2 million followers on TikTok late in life by sharing stories to commemorate World War II and his fallen comrades, has died at 102.

California

Jake 'Papa Jake' Larson, a veteran of the D-Day landings during World War II and a popular TikTok personality, has died at his home in California at the age of 102. Larson enlisted in the National Guard at age 15 and served on the front lines during the Normandy landings and the Battle of the Bulge. 

In his later years, encouraged by his grandchildren, Larson gained a large following on TikTok by sharing both lighthearted stories and reflections on his wartime experiences. He was a regular attendee at D-Day commemorations in Normandy, honoring his fallen comrades and often downplaying his own heroism.

D-Day veteran and TikTok star 'Papa Jake' Larson dies at 102

He was one of the thousands of U.S. servicemen who stormed Omaha Beach on D-Day on the 6th of June 1944 and later became an unlikely star on TikTok. Papa Jake Larson died at his home in California on Sunday at the age of 102. Larson was 15 when he lied about his age to enlist in the National Guard in Minnesota in 1938. When the U.S. entered World War II, he was posted to Northern Ireland and was then on the front line when the Normandy landings took place. I got in on the planning of D-Day. I got the bronze star and the French gave me the Legion of Honor. I'm just a country boy. Now I'm a star on TikTok. You can see me all over. Papa Jake, I'm a legend. After D-Day, Papa Jake fought at the Battle of the Bulge. He then settled down on his return home and in his late 90s, he took to TikTok, encouraged by his grandchildren. He regaled his fans with humorous anecdotes and also somber tales of his wartime experiences. In later life, he was a regular visitor to the Normandy beaches for D-Day commemorations when he would remember his fallen comrades. They didn't get the honors that we who have lived and gone on and raised families. They had no families. So they looked forward to us coming. Papa Jake rejected the label of hero, saying he was just the luckiest man in the world to have survived and have lived a long life.

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Kyiv

Ukraine Invasion

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As Suwayda

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Damascus

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Rio de Janeiro

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