(FeaturedNews.com) – World War II veteran Jake Larson, 100, is known to most people as “Papa Jake.” Jake’s social media account on TikTok has more than 600,000 followers.
On Tuesday, Larson had the opportunity to meet many of the fans of his account during his trip to the American Cemetery in Normandy in celebration of the 79th anniversary of D-Day, the attack that eventually led to the liberation of France and Western Europe.
In an interview with the Associated Press, he said that he had gotten “in on the planning of D-Day” and that somehow, he had ended up becoming a social media star. As he pointed out, this was not what he had planned, but it is what happened. As he revealed, he is 100 years old but he does not feel any aches or pain, which is something that you cannot fake.
As part of the celebration, Larson also went to the Pegasus Memorial, which is a site in honor of the D-Day operation. It was at this site that he met Bill Gladden, a 99-year-old British veteran. Larson proceeded to tell Gladden that he had wanted to hug him and thank him. He added that they were “meant to meet.”
During his trip to Normandy, he also attended a parade with other U.S. veterans, many of whom were using wheelchairs. The parade took place on Sunday at Sainte-Mere-Eglise, where on June 6, 1944, thousands of paratroopers had jumped.
Throughout his trip, there were multiple people who wanted to take a photo with “Papa Jake.” In return, Larson gave them a big hug.
WATCH:
@storytimewithpapajake Happy Veteran’s Day to all those who have served and to those who aren’t with us today… We remember you today and everyday ❤️🇺🇸 Thank you again @zacbrownband for honoring this Veteran ❤️ #veteransday #veteransoftiktok #ww2veteran #zacbrownband #zacbrown #veteran #zacbrownbandconcert
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