During his last years, "Papa Jake" also became known on Tiktok, where he shared his experiences during World War II and paid tribute to his fallen comrades.
Larson was born in Minnesota in 1922 and was stationed in Northern Ireland during the war, where he participated in the planning of D-Day, the invasion that would liberate Europe from Nazi Germany's clutches. He was present when the Allies landed on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944, and managed to escape the German machine guns unscathed.
I was involved in planning D-Day. Now I'm a Tiktok star. I didn't plan this, it just happened, he said to AP in 2023.
In recent years, he returned to Normandy several times when the anniversary of the invasion was commemorated.
We have a duty to honor these guys who gave us the opportunity to live, he said at an American war cemetery during his last visit in June this year.
