D-Day Vet, 101 Heads to France, 80th Anniv June 6: Jake Larson Survived 6 Battles, Incl The Bulge

Last edited Thu May 30, 2024, 07:51 PM - Edit history (2)

- Jake Larson, WWII Hero and TicTok Star. Jake joined the National Guard at age 15. He was 5' 10, 120 lbs. (CBS Minnesota, 2023).
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'At 101, D-Day US veteran heads to France for 80th anniversary,' Reuters, May 28, 2024. -Ed.
- World War Two U.S. Army veteran Jake Larson is 101 years old and a survivor of D-Day, history’s largest amphibious invasion on June 6, 1944, and he is heading to France for the 80th anniversary to honor the brothers-in-arms who did not make it home. At home in Martinez, Calif, alongside photos and mementos from his years in the National Guard and the U.S. Army, Larson can recall every moment from the day he landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day and calls himself "the last man."

During the landing on Omaha Beach, Larson carried 74 pounds (34 kg) of gear in his pack, the waves rocked the landing crafts up and down four feet (1.2 meters) at times, the Germans fired 14-inch (35.5-cm) shells overhead and small arms from the dunes. “I walked in over that minefield, where so many were killed. Not only from the mines, but from the small arms fire. And they're all up there above. Those guys there, those there are the ones that deserve recognition. I'm here to make sure that happens. I honor those guys,” he told Reuters in May.

🇺🇸 Larson, who goes by the name “Papa Jake,” is among a dwindling number of World War Two veterans who will return this June to mark the anniversary of the allied invasion when more than 150,000 allied soldiers invaded France to drive out Nazi Germany's forces led by Hitler.

- Larson wears a black jacket inscribed with "WWII Survivor" & the 6 battles in Europe he survived including the Battle of the Bulge - Invasion of Normandy/Operation Overlord, Battle of St. Lo, Battle of Falaise Gap, Battle for Paris, Battle of Luxembourg and the Battle of the Bulge. Born in Minn., Larson joined the National Guard at 15 before the Guard was called up at the start of World War 2.. More, Vid.
https://www.reuters.com/world/101-d-day-us-veteran-heads-france-80th-anniversary-2024-05-29/

- On D-Day, Jake Larson survived Omaha Beach's deadliest sector. (27 mins, 2 days ago, American Veterans Center). - Comments, click YouTube icon in the video. - Larson: "Being a farm boy, we were brought up with guns..." "I got by without a scratch"...

https://www.tiktok.com/@wcconews/video/7373661268923911470
- CBS News, May 27, 2024. Jake Larson @Papa Jake is one of Minnesota's last living World War II veterans. Papa Jake says he lied about his age to join the National Guard at 15, was involved in the top secret planning of the D-Day invasion, and ultimately survived storming Omaha Beach. Papa Jake is one of 3 Minn.- born veterans we'll meet next week. 🇺🇸 WCCO’s John Lauritsen is traveling to Normandy for the 80th Anniv. of D-Day on June 6, 2024.