From Fox News: A World War II veteran who is 102 years old has become a viral sensation on TikTok, sharing his experiences of wartime stories.
Jake Larson, aka “Papa Jake,” spoke with Fox News Digital about serving the country and shared what Independence Day means to him. (See the video at the top of this article.)
Larson of Lafayette, California, fought in six battles during World War II while storming Omaha Beach on D-Day and then in the Battle of the Bulge.
He was born in Owatonna, Minnesota, enlisting in the National Guard in 1938 at age 15 – and lying about his age.
The report notes that when Pearl Harbor was attacked, Larson was 18 years old, and he now jokes that he didn’t even know Pearl Harbor existed before that.
After the Pearl Harbor attack, Larson was sent to Europe where he served for 3 years, and was put in charge of Omaha Beach the night he arrived. He also survived the “Battle of the Bulge,” where an estimated 19,000 U.S. Army soldiers died.
In a video message to Fox News Digital, Larson talked about the meaning of the 4th of July, America’s Independence Day.
Referring to all the U.S. soldiers who lost their lives in service to their country, Larson said none of them joined the military expecting to be heros.
“Their souls are looking down on me now. Every time I talk, I like to remind people that those guys upstairs, looking down at us, they’re the heroes,” he said. “I’m just in there doing the job.”
He added, “None of us ever thought we’d be heroes. We didn’t go over there to be heroes. We went over to kick Hitler’s [butt] out of Europe.”
And he says, even at 102 years old, he doesn’t have an ache or a pain in his body.
WATCH the following video clip from Fox News:
GREATEST GENERATION: 102-year-old World War II veteran pays tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom, saying, “Every time I talk, I like to remind people that those guys upstairs, looking down at us — they’re the heroes.” pic.twitter.com/zhDnQs7Avr
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 4, 2025
Below is another video of Larson released by KPIX CBS News Bay Area News in June of last year, when Larson turned 101 years old.
Larson has a TikTok channel filled with video clips of his stories, which are wildly popular.
One video from last year has gone extremely viral, with over 4 million views, as he praises TikTok for allowing him to share his stories with people around the world.
READ MORE from Fox News.
Viral 102-year-old WWII veteran has message about America: ‘How lucky we all are’ https://t.co/JXDhK5hdUJ
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 4, 2025
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