D-Day TikToker Papa Jake, 101, meets Joe Biden at 80th anniversary of Normandy Landings after flying in on private jet
World War II veteran and TikToker Papa Jake met with President Joe Biden at the 80th anniversary of Normandy Landings today after flying in on a private jet.
The 101-year-old, whose real name is Jake M. Larson, was one of the many battle-scarred soldiers honored at the celebration to mark 80 years since the D-Day landings that helped lead to Adolf Hitler's defeat.
Born in Owatonna, Minnesota, Larson enlisted in the National Guard in 1938, lying about his age as he was only 15 and fought on Omaha Beach in 1944 through the Battle of the Bulge.
In recent years, the veteran has set up his own TikTok channel under the name @storytimewithpapajake with help from his granddaughter, McKaela, and shares pictures as well as stories from the war.
Venerated: World War II veteran and TikToker Jake M. Larson is pictured with President Joe Biden at the 80th anniversary of Normandy Landings on Thursday
A week ago, he shared a video of himself boarding a private jet to go to Normandy, France for the celebration and told his over 800,000 followers that it was his first time on such a plane
A week ago, he shared a video of himself boarding a private jet to go to Normandy, France, for the celebration and told his 800,000 followers that it was his first time on such a plane.
Wearing an American flag tie and a US Army shirt, he cheeringly called the trip a 'big day in his life' and said he was 'blessed'.
Fans of Papa Jake saw him give an enthusiastic thumbs-up right before the jet took off from the Oakland International Airport.
During today's celebrations, Larson said: 'I'm a 'here-to'. People say what is a here-to? I say I'm here to tell you I'm not a hero. It's those guys up there that gave their life so that I could make it through. That's what a here-to is.
'How is it possible that I went through five battles, plus landing on Omaha Beach without getting a scratch? Say there is a God. God just protected me.
'I'm lucky to be alive, more than lucky,' said the veteran, who now lives in Lafayette, California.
Jake M. Larson is pictured during his younger years, before fighting in World War II
Fans of Papa Jake saw him give an enthusiastic thumbs-up right before the jet took off from the Oakland International Airport
Larson, 101, arrives at Deauville airport from Atlanta to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the 1944 D-Day landings in Deauville, Normandy
After the ceremony, attended by King Charles III, Prince William, FLOTUS Jill Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, Biden was seen meeting with Larson and thanking him for his service.
Larson had joined the National Guard when he was only 15 years old - more than 80 years ago - and participated on the June 6, 1944, battle on Normandy Beach in France which saw the 'land, air, and sea forces' come together for the 'largest invasion in human history' - also known as D-Day.
He stormed Omaha Beach - one of the five areas of German-occupied France which was invaded by American, Canadian, and British troops on D-Day - and he even helped with the 'top-secret planning of the invasion,' according to McKaela.
According to Jake - who is now the only surviving member of his unit - they arrived to the beach by ship but instantly faced trouble, since there were so many people and not enough room for them all.
'We had to come down on these rope ladders carrying our 75-pound rifle. Dropping onto these landing crafts, I was the first one down there,' he recalled in one video.
'I thought we were gonna go in and land on Omaha beach. Instead, they were having trouble with the amount of people they already had, there wasn't enough room and they couldn't get over the cliff to capture anything or make room for us.
'So we went around in circles waiting for the word to come in. They were ready to call off the invasion because the fire power was too great.'
He helped storm Omaha Beach - one of the five areas of German-occupied France which was invaded by American, Canadian, and British troops - on D-day
Larson visits graves at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer
And things didn't get easier for them when they did finally get to land. Jake said there were supposed to be holes dug out for them to hide and take shelter in, but the Air Force had 'totally missed Omaha Beach' so there was 'no protection' for them.
'I got behind a little burrow which was six inches high with two machine guns shooting at me from two sides,' he explained.
'We had water up to my chin coming in. I turned around and not two-feet behind me, there was another soldier.
'I said, "Hey have you got a match, buddy?" I got no answer. I had just glanced at him but the next time I looked there was no head under the helmet.
'I thank that soldier's soul for getting me to run when I did because the [enemy] soldiers' machine guns had stopped to reload and I started [running].
According to McKaela, who is from California, her grandfather lied about his age when he was a teen so he could join the U.S. Army at age 15. He is pictured in the Army
'I [was thinking], "What in the world are you doing here, Jake?" You can't shoot at anybody, you can't see them but they can see you. What a predicament. But I made it, I made it to the cliff without a scratch.'
In a follow-up video, Jake explained that when nightfall came after the invasion, he was told he was going to have to keep watch all night long.
'At 12 o'clock that night, German planes came in and dropped little flares and lit up the beach like daylight and took pictures,' he said. 'Our aircrafts started shooting up at them but after a while everything quieted down.'
Jake revealed that the bed he was supposed to sleep in that night had been hit by a piece of metal from the aircraft, so if he hadn't been tasked with keeping watch he might have been killed.
After the end of the war , he also wrote a book about his experiences, titled 'The Luckiest Man in the World' and has stolen many people's hearts on the internet with some branding him a 'legend' and an 'hero' for his 'bravery' and 'strength'.
