He considers himself the luckiest man in the world.
Jake Larson, a 101-year-old Martinez resident, has lived many lives, the most notable of which was as a World War II soldier who not only survived D-Day in Normandy, France, but also, as an army company clerk, was part of the largest seaborne invasion in military history.
Sometimes Larson’s scary stories bring to life parts of history that need to be remembered and kept alive.
“They had more than a million mines on Omaha Beach,” Larson told KTVU in a recent interview. “I was more afraid of stepping on a landmine than I was being shot at.”
Now, these stories are being told to a new generation on TikTok, a site that Gen Zers like.
More than 800,000 people follow the war hero who became a social media star. About 9 million people have liked his posts.
People who follow the man, who they call “Papa Jake,” did not even know this new form of communication existed.
What the heck? I had no idea what TikTok was. “Now that you mention TikTok, I think of clocks!” he exclaimed.
On June 6, 2020, 76 years after D-Day, his granddaughter Mckaela Larson showed him the world of TikTok for the first time.
She put up a video of him talking about what happened that terrible day.
He told his audience stories like, “I feel like someone is to my left.” And I yell, “Hey guys!” Do you have a match? I did not hear back. I looked. There was also a soldier. Just lying there. They found the helmet lying on its side, without its head.
Quickly, “Storytime with Papa Jake” took off and went viral, and Larson’s unbelievable war stories reached people all over the world.
As a way to join the National Guard, the farm boy from Minnesota lied about his age and said he was 18. He was only 15.
As a result, he is now the only person left from the three units he served in who can speak from personal experience about what he and his platoon went through.
Larson has taken his TikTok fans on emotional trips back to Normandy to remember D-Day, in addition to telling stories from the battlefield.
In his posts, he also talks about the awards and honors he is received for being brave and working to keep history alive.
He also talks about the things that are most important to him, like his beloved Lola, who will always be his Valentine. He said of his late wife, “We were married 75 years, and I still love her.”
He never once takes his amazing life for granted, no matter what.
“God has made me happy.” Papa Jake bragged, “I do not have a single ache or pain in my body!” “He is blessing me all the time!”
For anyone who might have doubts about his health, he showed us how strong he was by kicking both legs up above his head.
Papa Jake will be 102 years old next month.
What was the key to his long and interesting life? He might have said the same thing when he was 21 years old and standing on the bloody shores of Omaha Beach: “I guess my secret is just stay alive.” “Do not die!”
Every story that this social media star posts makes him feel like he really is the luckiest person in the world.
I keep having these things happen to me. “Why do these things keep happening to me?” Papa Jake yelled. “I get a lot of cards and letters.” And hearing “Papa” sometimes makes me cry. Jake, you. “You have made our lives better.””