D-Day veteran and TikTok star ‘Papa Jake' Larson dies aged 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 till the end', his granddaughter wrote while announcing his death.
Advertisement
Tributes to the veteran quickly filled his Story Time With Papa Jake TikTok account from across the US, where he had been living in Lafayette, California.
'Papa Jake' Larson shared stories to commemorate the Second World War (Thomas Padilla/AP)
Towns around Normandy, still grateful to Allied forces who helped defeat the occupying Nazis in the Second World War, paid homage to him too.
'Our beloved Papa Jake has passed away on July 17 at 102 years young,' granddaughter McKaela Larson posted on his social media accounts.
'He went peacefully.'
Advertisement
'As Papa would say, love you all the mostest,' she wrote.
Born on December 20 1922 in Owatonna, Minnesota, Mr Larson enlisted in the National Guard in 1938, lying about his age as 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.
Mr Larson 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.
Advertisement
He made it unhurt to the cliffs that overlook the beach, then studded with German gun emplacements that mowed down American soldiers.
'We are the lucky ones,' Mr Larson told The Associated Press (AP) at the 81st anniversary of D-Day in June.
'We are their family. We have the responsibility to honour these guys who gave us a chance to be alive.'
Mr Larson's service earned him a Bronze Star and a French Legion of Honour award (Eric Risberg/AP)
Mr Larson went on to fight through the Battle of the Bulge, a gruelling 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 Honour award.
Advertisement
In recent years, Mr 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 big hugs.
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,' Mr Larson told Mr Gladden, their hands clasped tightly. Mr Gladden died the following year.
In his TikTok posts and interviews, Mr Larson combined humorous anecdotes with sombre reminders about the horrors of war.
Advertisement
Reflecting to AP on the three years he was in Europe, Mr Larson said he was 'no hero'. Speaking in 2024, he also had a message to world leaders: 'Make peace not war.'
Mr Larson made repeated trips to Normandy for D-Day commemorations in recent years (Eric Risberg/AP)
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 honour D-Day's veterans and fallen shared tributes online to Mr 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
BBC News
34 minutes ago
- BBC News
Marine debris from US found washed up on Isles of Scilly
A marine litter enthusiast on the Isles of Scilly says she has collected about 15,000 pieces of marine debris since February, including a lobster trap tag from the Banfield said she recently traced the tag via social media back to a fishing village off the Maine coast 3,000 miles (4,828km) away "as the crow flies".She said both the US and Canadian governments had strict rules about how, when and where fishing took place, including the use of lobster trap tags."I posted on a local Facebook group I'm part of full of American and Canadian lobster fisheries, and they're incredibly helpful and supportive in trying to track things down and find out where their gear has got to," she said. She added the tag had the name Jim MacDonald on it and a family member of his had informed her that it came from North Haven."It's a little island off the coast of Maine and this tag travelled 3,000 miles (4,828km) as the crow flies," said Ms Banfield."In the ocean it's going around in circles and sort of wizzes all over the place. It's actually travelled a lot further."She said tags were regularly found washed up on beaches on the Isles of Scilly. Ms Banfield said the purpose of her group, called Scilly Coastal Clean-up, was to collect the items and sort them to be said: "In the future, we're going to send things away that can be recycled. Anything that can't be recycled, our local council are very kindly disposing of free of charge."She said the general response when beach visitors saw her clean was "very supportive".However, she added there was a high percentage of people who were "absolutely horrified" by the amount of litter washed up on the beaches. "I explain to visitors that things haven't come from Scilly, probably about 98% to 99% of what we pick up on our beaches have come from other locations," she hopes to organise community beach cleans in the appealed to anyone who carried out a beach clean on the islands in future to let her know so she could collect and sort the marine debris for recycling.
Sky News
3 hours ago
- Sky News
Plane plunges 300ft in 36 seconds to avoid other aircraft
A US passenger plane made a dramatic plunge minutes after take-off to dodge another aircraft - injuring two cabin crew and causing passengers to shoot out of their seats. The Southwest flight had just taken off from Burbank in California when the pilot received an alert about a nearby plane. Data from FlightAware shows the aircraft dropped by 91m (300ft) in just 36 seconds. Those on board said they felt panicked, and some feared the plane was about to crash. Comedian Jimmy Dore posted on X: "Pilot had to dive aggressively to avoid mid-air collision … myself and plenty of people flew out of their seats and bumped heads on ceiling, a flight attendant needed medical attention." Stef Zambrano saw a woman who wasn't wearing her seatbelt thrown out of her seat, who then said: "I want to get off this plane. I want to be on the ground." Another passenger, Steve Ulasewicz, told NBC Los Angeles that it felt like the plane was in freefall for 10 seconds. "People were screaming. You know, it was pandemonium. People thought the plane was going down," he added. The aircraft was able to continue to its destination of Las Vegas, where it safely landed without any further incident. It is believed the Boeing 737 was in the same vicinity as a Hawker Hunter Mk. 58, a British fighter jet. Southwest is now working with the Federal Aviation Administration "to further understand the circumstances" of the event. 0:35 This is the second time in a week that a passenger plane has had to make abrupt flight manoeuvres to avoid a potential mid-air collision. Concerns have been raised about aviation safety in the US following a series of recent incidents. In January, a mid-air collision in Washington DC killed 67 people.
Reuters
4 hours ago
- Reuters
Two Southwest flight attendants hurt after jet dives to avoid mid-air collision
WASHINGTON, July 25 (Reuters) - Two flight attendants on a Southwest Airlines (LUV.N), opens new tab flight departing Burbank, California, were injured on Friday after pilots took evasive action to dodge another aircraft on takeoff, the airline said. Southwest Flight 1496 sharply descended nearly 500 feet, according to flight tracking websites, marking the second time in a week that a U.S. commercial jet was forced to make abrupt flight maneuvers to avoid a potential mid-air collision. The incident also appeared to be the fourth involving military aircraft since March. The airline and the Federal Aviation Administration said the Southwest pilots took action after receiving cockpit alerts of other aircraft traffic being dangerously close. The Southwest Boeing 737 continued on to Las Vegas, where it landed uneventfully. Flight-tracking service Flightradar24 identified the other aircraft as a Hawker Hunter fighter jet - British-built aircraft - that crossed in front of the Southwest flight. The planes came within 4.86 miles (7.82 km) of each other laterally and 350 feet (107 m) vertically. The U.S. Air Force and Defense Department did not immediately respond to inquiries regarding the military jet's presence near Burbank. The FAA was investigating. Two flight attendants were treated for injuries, the airline said, without providing detail. No injuries were immediately reported by passengers, according to Southwest. But one passenger told Fox News Digital the sharp descent stirred panic onboard. "It was terrifying. We really thought we were plummeting to a plane crash," Caitlin Burdi said in an on-camera interview. After the incident, "the pilot came on (the intercom), and he told us we almost collided with another plane." According to a statement from Southwest, the incident began when its crew responded to "two onboard traffic alerts" while taking off from the Hollywood Burbank Airport north of Los Angeles, "requiring them to climb and descend to comply with the alerts." In a separate incident one week ago, a SkyWest Airlines (SKYW.O), opens new tab jet operating as a Delta Connection (DAL.N), opens new tab flight from Minneapolis reported taking evasive action to avoid a possible collision with a U.S. Air Force bomber during a landing approach over North Dakota on July 18. The FAA said on Monday it was investigating last Friday's near-miss incident involving SkyWest Flight 3788, an Embraer ( opens new tab ERJ-175 regional jet, which landed safely at Minot, North Dakota. The Air Force confirmed a B-52 jet bomber assigned to Minot Air Force Base had conducted a ceremonial flyover of the North Dakota State Fair last Friday around the time of the SkyWest incident. The Air Force said the bomber cockpit crew was in contact with local air traffic control before, during and after the flyover, and that the Minot International Airport control tower "did not advise of the inbound commercial aircraft" as the B-52 was departing the area. The FAA has said that air traffic services were provided by the Minot air traffic control tower, which is run by a private company and not FAA employees. The National Transportation Safety Board and FAA are investigating a March 28 close call involving a Delta Airbus A319 jet and a group of Air Force jets near Reagan Washington National Airport. The four Air Force T-38 Talons were heading to nearby Arlington National Cemetery for a flyover at the time. There has been intense focus on military traffic near civilian airplanes since an Army helicopter collided with an American Airlines (AAL.O), opens new tab regional jet on January 29 near Reagan National, killing 67 people. In early May, the FAA barred Army helicopter flights around the Pentagon after another near miss.
