MINNEAPOLIS— A 101-year-old soldier helped win World War II, but recently he took his talents to the Internet.
Especially Tik Tok.
Meet daddy Jake Larson.
“I’m going to 101,” Larson said. “Damn, I’m the luckiest man in the world. Look at me, I’m sitting here. Think about it. I walk through history.’
Larson is always witty, wise and to the point.
A self-described farm boy from rural Minnesota, he grew up during the Great Depression without electricity or running water. He lied about his age so he could join the National Guard at 15. A few years later he entered the Second World War.
“I never thought I would go to war,” Larson said.
Not only was Larson sent to France, he also interfered in the planning of the D-Day invasion. He learned to type in high school and knew as much about typewriters as he did about guns.
“It changed my life,” Larson said. “It got me to the top.”
So when military leaders like Eisenhower and Bradley began preparing for D-Day, it was Larson who helped outline their plans.
“Everyone who landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day passed through these fingers. These fingers I show you now as I type their name,” Larson said.
That also meant he had to type his own name.
“It was hell,” Larson recalled. “More than 1 million landmines were planted on that entire beach below us.”
From planning to fighting, he was the first man off the command boat and was responsible for helping organize soldiers on Omaha Beach. At the age of 101, he has outlived many of the men who fought him that day.
“I feel like I’m a messenger for these guys who gave their lives,” Larson said.
Larson delivers that message through a platform most centenarians are unfamiliar with… all thanks to his granddaughter.
“She came home and said, ‘Dad, I’m going to take you on TikTok,’ what the hell is TikTok?” Larson joked.
Within a week he had more than 10,000 followers. It has been a way to connect the greatest generation with the youngest generation. They post about sporting events, as well as ceremonies celebrating veterans, not athletes.
Earlier this week, Larson returned to Normandy. The D-Day invasion he helped plan took place on these beaches. And there’s a reason why even at his age, Larson feels the need to keep coming back.
“I come back to honor their souls. They’re my friends. They’re there now,” Larson said. “They’re up there. They’re waiting for me.’
In France, Larson felt the love. People of all ages know who he is and come out of the woodwork to be around this hero.
“They treat me like a celebrity and I’m just a farm boy from Hope, Minnesota. It’s insane. It’s downright insane,” Larson said.
He hopes this isn’t his last trip Normandybecause his mission now is to ensure that the fallen are not forgotten.
“I’ve been through this. I’m like a history book. I can’t help it,” Larson said.
In addition to being a TikTok star, Larson is also an author. He wrote a book called ‘The Happiest Man in the World’.
