D-Day veteran and TikTok star ‘Papa Jake' Larson dies at 102
An animated speaker who charmed strangers young and old with his quick smile and generous hugs, the self-described country boy from Minnesota was ''cracking jokes til the end,' his granddaughter wrote in announcing his death.
Tributes to him quickly filled his 'Story Time with Papa Jake' TikTok account from across the United States, where he had been living in Lafayette, California. Towns around Normandy, still grateful to Allied forces who helped defeat the occupying Nazis in World War II, paid him homage too.
'Our beloved Papa Jake has passed away on July 17th at 102 years young,' granddaughter McKaela Larson posted on his social media accounts. 'He went peacefully.'
'As Papa would say, love you all the mostest,' she wrote.
Commemorating the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasionBorn Dec. 20, 1922, in Owatonna, Minnesota, Larson enlisted in the National Guard in 1938, lying about his age since he was only 15 at the time. In 1942, he was sent overseas and was stationed in Northern Ireland. He became operations sergeant and assembled the planning books for the invasion of Normandy.
He was among the nearly 160,000 Allied troops who stormed the Normandy shore on D-Day, June 6, 1944, surviving machine-gun fire when he landed on Omaha Beach. He made it unhurt to the bluffs that overlook the beach, then studded with German gun emplacements that mowed down American soldiers.
'We are the lucky ones,' Larson told The Associated Press at the 81st anniversary of D-Day in June, speaking amid the immaculate rows of graves at the American cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach.
'We are their family. We have the responsibility to honor these guys who gave us a chance to be alive.'
He went on to fight through the Battle of the Bulge, a grueling month-long fight in Belgium and Luxembourg that was one of the defining moments of the war and of Hitler's defeat. His service earned him a Bronze Star and a French Legion of Honor award.
In recent years, Larson made repeated trips to Normandy for D-Day commemorations — and at every stop, 'Papa Jake' was greeted by people asking for a selfie. In return, he offered up a big hug, to their greatest joy.
One memorable encounter came in 2023, when he came across Bill Gladden, a then-99-year-old British veteran who survived a glider landing on D-Day and a bullet that tore through his ankle.
'I want to give you a hug, thank you. I got tears in my eyes. We were meant to meet,' Larson told Gladden, as their hands, lined and spotted with age, clasped tightly. Gladden died the following year.
In his TikTok posts and interviews, Larson combined humorous anecdotes with somber reminders about the horrors of war.
Reflecting to AP on the three years he was in Europe, Larson said he is 'no hero.' Speaking in 2024, he also had a message to world leaders: 'Make peace not war.'
He often called himself 'the luckiest man in the world,' and expressed awe at all the attention he was getting. 'I'm just a country boy. Now I'm a star on TikTok,' he told AP in 2023. 'I'm a legend! I didn't plan this, it came about.'
Small-town museums and groups around Normandy that work to honor D-Day's heroes and fallen shared tributes online to Larson, one of their most loyal visitors.
'He was an exceptional witness and bearer of memory,' the Overlord Museum posted on Facebook.
'He came every year to the museum, with his smile, his humility and his tales that touched all generations. His stories will continue to live. Rest in peace Papa Jake,' it read.
'Thanks for everything.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Yahoo
When parents play favourites with children, they're playing with fire
"You love my brother more than me!" If you're a parent and one of your children accuses you of favouring a sibling, it can sting. Don't you always try to treat all of your kids equally? And don't you naturally love all of them equally too? While this may well be your intention, parents are often emotionally closer to one child - usually unconsciously, but sometimes not. In a recent survey by the German polling institute Appinio, commissioned on the occasion of Mother's Day, 18% of the respondents said they had a favourite child. This doesn't surprise Susanne Döll-Hentschker, professor of clinical psychology and psychotherapy at the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences. After all, she says, immediately after the birth of a child, parents look for similarities to themselves. "It's pure projection, but if you see yourself in your child, it will influence how you behave towards them," she remarks. Similarities and differences in temperament, interests or family roles are what foster particular closeness between a parent and a child. "Some children are more even-tempered, others more of a handful. And there are developmental stages when a child's behaviour is harder for parents to interpret and regulate," says psychologist Fabienne Becker-Stoll, director of the State Institute for Early Childhood Education and Media Competence (IFP) in Amberg, Germany. If, in such stages, a child baulks at homework, for example, it's perfectly normal for parents to be reluctant to help out with maths exercises, she says. What's important is that they be aware of the dynamics at play and realize that they, not the child, are responsible for a harmonious relationship. "Children must know and feel that they're loved unconditionally," she says. A secure parental bond gives kids self-confidence and prevents them from feeling less loved when siblings get more attention from parents in certain stages of their development. "Unequal treatment is unavoidable, because every child has different needs," notes Döll-Hentschker. It would be silly, in her view, to treat a 2-year-old the same as a 4-year-old. "If you explain the reasons for the disparity, they're generally satisfied," she says. So long, that is, as the temporary unequal treatment doesn't devolve into favouritism. Experiencing a brother or sister who systematically receives more affection is deeply hurtful. "If a child feels persistently disadvantaged or ignored, it can have an extremely adverse effect on their self-esteem and self-image," warns Anja Lepach-Engelhardt, professor of developmental and educational psychology at the Private University of Applied Sciences (PFH) in Göttingen, Germany. But being a pet child can have lasting negative consequences too. "They're often made to take more responsibility for the parents' care," she points out. As regards factors determining a favoured child, "birth order can play a role," says Lepach-Engelhardt. "The time with the first-born in particular is often experienced especially intensely, and they get a lot of attention. On the other hand, they often have to take on more responsibility." Sometimes it's the youngest child that receives special attention, she adds, while the middle children tend to get the least. Gender can also play a role. A meta-analysis published this year by the American Psychological Association, reflecting data from about 20,000 individuals, concludes that parents may be inclined to give relatively favoured treatment to daughters, conscientious children, and agreeable ones. It says the data also suggests that siblings who receive favoured parental treatment tend to have better mental health, fewer problem behaviours, more academic success, better self-regulation and healthier relationships. The inverse is also supported by the data. "Importantly," the researchers write, "PDT [parental differential treatment] consistently has unique consequences beyond the effects of parenting in general. In other words, the positive and negative outcomes associated with PDT are not about good and bad parenting but about being parented differently." Parental favouritism is rarely deliberate. And for many parents, admitting to yourself that your relationship quality isn't the same for all of your children "is felt to be taboo and therefore often denied in non-anonymous surveys, says Lepach-Engelhardt. "However, a number of large studies have been done showing that unconscious favouritism, at least, occurs frequently, for example in the form of more attention, praise or leniency accorded a certain child." What should you do if you happen to be emotionally closer to one of your children, if the child's temperament better suits you, it's easier to talk to them and they're more affectionate towards you? "Introspection and honesty are a good way to start," Lepach-Engelhardt says. She advises asking yourself the following questions: How do I speak with each child? How much time do I spend with each? What provokes me, stresses me or disappoints me about them, and what do I especially appreciate? "Then ask yourself why you accord a certain child more attention or leniency, whether it occurs often and how you can balance it out, for instance by consciously apportioning time and resources, or having each parent occasionally engage separately with the children," she says. Equal treatment, to her way of thinking, doesn't mean treating all equally, but "fairly." Grandparents can play favourites or show disfavour too, points out Döll-Hentschker, "for example if a grandmother rejects her youngest grandson because she thought the family was complete without him and didn't need another child." The children directly affected by favouritism aren't the only ones who suffer. Sibling relationships can be severely damaged as well - by rivalry, jealousy or feelings of guilt. Children find themselves in roles they haven't chosen. "Some sibling relationships are actually destroyed by this or remain troubled for a lifetime," Döll-Hentschker says. The emotional hurt can be healed, however, if the parents and children are able to have a frank talk about it, and "parents acknowledge the pain suffered by a child who was always disadvantaged," says Becker-Stoll. Assuming responsibility for your relationships with your children and asking yourself, "What can I do to make them better?" she says, are important steps in seeing each child in their uniqueness and taking them seriously. Solve the daily Crossword
Newsweek
17 hours ago
- Newsweek
The Americans More Likely To Believe In Ghosts
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. There are five demographics in the U.S. which are more likely to believe in ghosts than others, according to recent research from Gallup. Why It Matters Paranormal belief, whether its ghosts or spiritual healing, has long been a societal and cultural fascination, from Paranormal Investigator TV Shows to fictionalized horror movies and franchises. Stock image: a ghost decoration hanging in front of a house in Kensington Market, Toronto Ontario Canada, taken on October 30, 2024. Stock image: a ghost decoration hanging in front of a house in Kensington Market, Toronto Ontario Canada, taken on October 30, 2024. Getty Images/Ashley L Duffus What To Know Gallup's poll found that Americans are mostly skeptical about paranormal phenomena, but certain demographics are more likely to believe than others. The demographics more likely to have paranormal beliefs are: Women, 40 percent People who infrequently attend religious service, 40 percent College non graduates 38 percent Political moderates, 37 percent Liberals, 35 percent These groups are all more likely to be open to belief than men (28 percent), conservatives (28 percent), college graduates (28 percent) and weekly churchgoers (22 percent). Overall, 48 percent of American adults believe in psychic or spiritual healing, while 39 percent express a belief in ghosts. The Gallup poll also identified eight paranormal phenomena, which are listed below. Psychic or spiritual healing or the power of the human mind to heal the body Ghosts, or that spirits of dead people can come back in certain places and situations Telepathy, or communication between minds without using the traditional five senses That people can hear from or communicate mentally with someone who has died Clairvoyance, or the power of the mind to know the past and predict the future Astrology, or that the position of the stars and planets can affect people's lives Reincarnation, that is, the rebirth of the soul in a new body after death Witches The Gallup poll then asked Americans' about their believe in each of these individual phenomena. The percentage of people who responded to Gallup poll that they believed in those seven identified phenomena for each category in chronological order is as follows: 48 percent, 39 percent, 29 percent, 27 percent, 26 percent, 25 percent, 24 percent, 24 percent. The percentage of people who responded to the Gallup poll that they were not sure about the seven identified phenomena for each category in chronological order is as follows: 19 percent, 19 percent, 21 percent, 22 percent, 23 percent, 19 percent, 25 percent, 15 percent. The percentage of people who responded to the Gallup poll that they do not believe in the seven identified phenomena for each category in chronological order is as follows: 32 percent, 42 percent, 28 percent, 49 percent, 50 percent, 55 percent, 50 percent and 60 percent. The phenomena that has the most belief was 'Psychic or spiritual healing or the power of the human mind to heal the body,' while the phenomena that had the least belief was witches. The findings were based on a Gallup poll which was conducted from May 1 to May 18 of this year. What People Are Saying The Gallup Poll reads in part: "Most Americans approach paranormal phenomena with caution; however, women, those who attend church less frequently and adults without a college degree are more likely than their counterparts to be open to believing in at least a few paranormal phenomena. Meanwhile, religious service attendance is most associated with skepticism." What's Next Gallup took similar surveys in 1994, 2001 and 2025. This poll stated that Americans' belief in paranormal phenomena remains largely unchanged.
CNBC
17 hours ago
- CNBC
I've coached kids who got into Harvard, Stanford and Princeton—I recommend 5 'essential' books for raising successful kids
Walk into the parenting section of any bookstore and you will be bombarded by prescriptive books, old and new. It can be hard to parse which are worth reading. But over the last 10 years, as a coach to high-achieving high school students who have gotten into selective colleges like Harvard, Stanford and Princeton, I've come across a few that have been invaluable. These books, written by educators, scientists, journalists, and parents, have helped me better empathize with my students — and better support them and their parents in navigating competitive academic environments. I recommend five books for parents who want to raise highly successful "Never Enough," journalist Jennifer Breheny Wallace explores modern toxic achievement culture and the problems it can lead to. The central issue is what she calls the "excessive pressure to excel." This undue stress negatively affects a child's health and emotional wellness. So how do you defend against that pressure and help your kids thrive? Wallace proposes constructive ways to circumvent this culture, whether it's tamping down on the anxiety you as a parent may inadvertently be creating, or building support systems for yourself and your kid. In "The Happiest Kids in the World," authors Rina Mae Acosta and Michele Hutchison explore the facets of Dutch culture that contribute to The Netherlands consistently ranking as one of the happiest countries in the world for children. Acosta is Filipino-American and Hutchison is British. They are both married to Dutch men, and are raising their kids in the Netherlands, so they approached the topic from a uniquely cross-cultural perspective. What I like about this book is that while the authors focus on larger societal norms that are common in the Netherlands, they also share practical takeaways for parents, such as the value of letting kids be heard or of eating meals together as a way to bond. In "The Self-Driven Child," authors Dr. William Stixrud and Ned Johnson — Stixrud, a clinical neuropsychologist and professor at George Washington University School of Medicine, and Johnson, the founder of tutoring service PrepMatters — detail how parents can support their children in becoming more independent. Many parents would probably agree that they want to raise self-sufficient children, but they often see motivation as innate, as opposed to a trait that can be learned. This book corrects a lot of misconceptions about the use of incentives to motivate kids (e.g. compensating your kids for good grades is harmful in the long-term), highlights key pitfalls to avoid, and arms parents with evidence-based recommendations and conversation starters to help their kids build independence and resilience. "Who Gets In And Why" offers an illuminating look at college admissions in America. While researching the book, education reporter Jeff Selingo followed admissions officers at three top colleges to give a transparent account of how admissions decisions are really made. He explores how factors like geography, demonstrated interest, and the specific needs of a school can have an outsize influence on the acceptance or rejection of a student's application. With clarity, Selingo does a great job at helping parents understand the competing forces that make this process about so much more than just the merit of any one applicant: "College admissions is a constant balancing act," he writes, "to please the bosses, as well as other constituents — faculty, coaches, alumni, donors, and at public universities, politicians." "How to be a High School Superstar" was first published 15 years ago, but I find that it is more relevant today than ever. Author Cal Newport, now a professor of computer science at Georgetown University, shares tools to make college admissions less stressful for everyone involved. He offers strategies on how students can stand out, and none of them involve taking the most AP classes or getting the highest SAT scores. Instead, he recommends genuinely cultivating one's passions by going deep into one specific area of interest no matter how weird or niche. While written for high school students, it provides a valuable roadmap for parents as well.
