Jake Larson, also known as ''Papa Jake,'' passed away at the age of 102. He was a D-Day veteran who survived the Normandy invasion in 1944. Born in Minnesota, Larson enlisted in the National Guard at 15 and became operations sergeant for the Normandy invasion. Later, he shared stories of his experiences on TikTok, gaining 1.2 million followers. Tributes poured in following his passing on July 17th, 2023, as people remembered his charm and humor. He expressed a sense of duty to honor fallen soldiers and reflected on the luck of surviving the war.
Our beloved Papa Jake has passed away on July 17th at 102 years young. He went peacefully.
As Papa would say, love you all the mostest.
We are the lucky ones. We are their family. We have the responsibility to honor these guys who gave us a chance to be alive.
He was among the nearly 160,000 Allied troops who stormed the Normandy shore on D-Day, surviving machine-gun fire when he landed on Omaha Beach.
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