TikTok star and WWII veteran 'Papa Jake' turns 100, wants future generations to know his stories
Fox News
Jake "Papa Jake" Larson, a decorated World War II veteran with a sizable following on TikTok, turned 100 years old on Dec. 20, 2022. Here's a look into his life and times.
Born on Dec. 20, 1922, in Owatonna, Minnesota, Larson told Fox News Digital in an email interview that his entry into the military was a little unorthodox. He enlisted in the Minnesota Army National Guard in 1938, only getting in because he "lied about my age by three years." Larson's ascent through the military ranks was — and still is — quite unusual "Our forces paid more money. You didn't have to tempt them very much." "I don't think I was in V Corps five or six months before I became a sergeant." Larson is now known as "Papa Jake" to his nine grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren and nearly 500,000 followers on his TikTok account. "For the 76th anniversary of D-Day, she made a TikTok about me that went viral." "I told her she was opening a can of worms." Christine Rousselle is a lifestyle reporter with Fox News Digital.
On Feb. 10, 1941, Larson said he was put into federal service and sent to Camp Claiborne in Louisiana.
There, he participated in Louisiana maneuvers.
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