Jake Larson, a World War II veteran who survived the D-Day landings and later amassed 1.2 million followers on TikTok by sharing his wartime memories, has died at the age of 102. His granddaughter announced his passing on social media, stating he died peacefully on 17 July.
Known affectionately as 'Papa Jake', Larson was born on 20 December 1922 in Owatonna, Minnesota. He enlisted in the National Guard at 15 by lying about his age and was sent overseas in 1942, stationed in Northern Ireland. As an operations sergeant, he assembled planning books for the Normandy invasion.
On 6 June 1944, Larson was among the 160,000 Allied troops who stormed Omaha Beach, surviving machine-gun fire to reach the bluffs overlooking the shore. He later fought in the Battle of the Bulge and was awarded a Bronze Star and the French Legion of Honour.
In his later years, Larson became a viral sensation on TikTok, where he shared humorous and poignant stories about the war. He described himself as 'the luckiest man in the world' and urged world leaders to 'make peace not war'. His granddaughter noted that he was 'cracking jokes til the end'.
Tributes poured in from across the United States and from towns in Normandy, which remain grateful to the Allied forces. Larson made repeated trips to Normandy for D-Day commemorations, most recently in June for the 81st anniversary.
