101-year-old WWII veteran Jake (Papa Jake) Larson marks 80'th anniversary of D-Day and talks indepth

Jake I I go by Papa Jake Larson how old are you I'm 101 going on 102 what's it feel like to be that right now I mean what's it feel like it feels like hell I'm the luckiest man in the world look look at me I'm I'm sitting here I'm 11 one this is weird huh I don't have an ache or a pain in my body how do you how do you account for that I I look at somebody else to tell me how what what is going I I I don't know I I I've Got Friends upstairs is what what I say somebody likes me I can't believe I'm a farm boy from from Minnesota Born and Raised on a farm into depression no electricity no running water milking CS by hand do you ever do you ever figure you'd end up in this situation anybody that tell you they figured they did they're crazy I I I didn't think I'd live to see 70 that's the way life was 65 you're an old man you're a real old man now they're young pups to you right and and here I sit 101 I don't know the answer to that John that there's nobody knows the answer to that well clean living I guess or or at least happy living maybe see see my ear early life I I started grade school when I was four years old what did you my my birthday is December 20th and the school board Country School Board said so long as you're five years old when you're in the the first grade that that's fine so I I I I I I turned five December 20th it it seems like you start a lot of things early tell me about when World War II started and your how you started it in I I already was in the service for three years I I joined the National Guard with my cousin chick we were about 15 about same age did they know you were 15 hell no we kept it secret and you got to remember this in my future when I start talking about where I ended up overseas I start off in the Infantry the National Guard in in Minnesota every m went to drill there every Monday night for 2 hours and we were credited with $1 so every three months we'd get a paycheck for $12 John you cannot believe what $12 was to me I think I was 12 years old probably 15 before I ever saw a $5 bill that was depression a a dozen eggs well a penny a piece 12 cents for a dozen eggs you it seems like you remember everything oh I I remember everything we had a cow that couldn't get with calf she got not a milking cow in when I was six years old my my brother and I put her in the sleigh winter time that's what you use sleigh no cars yeah hold her four miles or five miles to Allen bill finbo was the buyer there at that time and you remember the name of the guy who bought oh I I I certainly do yes okay so let me let me take you to where this whole thing start our story whole thing starts is World War II breaks out you're you've already been in the in the National Guard for two years I've been three years three years because you lied about your age so when World War II started and they started calling people up you were what age and and when World War II before World World War II started they were having trouble with the Japanese and uh they put the National Guard into Federal service in February 10th 1941 we were put in into Federal service we took the place of the army army in the United States at that time was 150,000 people they put all the divisions I think 28 or 29 I probably messed up on that someplace but but in the United States into Federal service they took the place of the army they did the Army work anybody was drafted we did the training so you were the Army before there was real army yes yes so when this thing started even though you were a pretty young age you were considered me better I I I turned 18 in 1940 in December okay so you already been doing any kind of operation stuff for the military in your role in the no just infantry shooting okay but you weren't like stationed anywhere you were just no you were still at home but I did take one year of typing while I was in going to high school and that helped you out later it changed my life this story you you're about to hear now is in that book but good a story is this it's uh it's a story of my life it changed my life I'm world famous right now if you talk about Papa Jake to the world they know me everybody knows me I I get correspondence with South Africa people from South Africa Australia New Zealand do you ever think you were going to be famous yeah you see that's a common do you ever think that uh someday we're going to die you ever think about that at my age yeah you pretty much every morning when I get up but yeah yeah I started off in the National Guard infantry when I was 15 years old every summer when school was out we would have one month of camp at Camp Ripley Minnesota with one one month be out there shooting on the Range Belly Up belly down marching I never thought I would be going to war Hitler was uh was pretty popular and tell people found out that he was lying about everything and then he took to this sedan land from Czechoslovakia that kind of changed things so uh at the same time as Hitler was given as a problem Japan was taking part of China they call manua and uh the United States put the clamps down it they they uh cut their oil supply Japan that can't operate a unless it gets all its supplies from outside they don't have any were you aware that all that was going on when you you found out about it afterwards I probably found out as I was going go going there and we were talking about and uh yes the National Guard P put an ad in the paper they they wanted to fill their ranks because that that's when Hitler was starting to go and and the Japanese at the same time did it feel to you like we were heading for war well I I figured it this way if we are going to the war I'm going to have to jump on other people because I'm I'm getting a lot of training in plus I was making $12 every three months that's big money I mean can't turn that down it's it's big money when when you don't have anything yeah yeah yeah I I had to work for my room and board for my own room and board while I was going to high school how how many kids you have ever see has to do that okay so when when the war started and you were into it what what was your like everybody the nation mobilized it started send you know everybody started working what was your what was your job when you became part of regular I take it your army right yeah yeah so what what was your job as regular army I I was just an infantry man down in Louisiana yeah went went down Louisiana and we we had the we'd go out and arrange we had divisional tactics One Division against another division just playing playing war games right and we're training at the same time well well in June we we got back to camp and uh Amos Graham said Jake let's go into Alexandria tonight let's get a passing you you'd fill a truck and they'd haul you in there and dump you off say we'll pick you up at 11:00 at night or so so uh okay so when the war broke out you were stationed where in Louisiana in Louis so they moved you from your National Guard thing up in Minnesota yeah Louis put in when we were put into Federal service in February we went to Louisiana okay okay and that that was February 40 yeah that was February 10th 1941 41 so yeah so like 10 months 11 months before no 10 months before Pearl Harbor right yeah okay so it so you guys were getting ready because it felt like war was coming yes right but the United States was still kind of holding back was trying not to get involved pre President Roosevelt he he uh he told the people I I am not going to get us into any fighting I I think about 85 87% of the population at that time voiced their opinion that's that's when England and and France responded when Hitler took Poland and they declared war on Germany that was kind of a phony War there at the beginning it just everybody was threatening everyone but no one was doing anything about and then hit Hitler's Army went in and just mopped up France and uh we wanted to help but we weren't allowed to we we sent supplies to him and then Hitler invaded Russia so we had another place to send supplies to what do you remember was there a feeling of we need to do something or was there oh oh oh oh definitely by you and the other guys in the Army you were drafted I never got drafted because I joined yeah the National Guard so so I I wasn't a Selective Service guy so uh but I trained a lot of guys yeah and when when I came back from that divisional War Games deal I got back to Louisiana and uh I got to get right back to where I left Amos Graham there and he says what do you want to get what's the first thing you want I say milkshake let's get a milkshake all right so let me ask you you're going through all of this and then it started coming and then we entered the war we're in the war once once Japan attacks and we and the how did you get to D-Day in other words once you started getting up to that that time see you you're jumping from one to the other and you got to listen to these little stories that I'm telling you and see how they how they add up okay so I'm back to Amos Graham and we're getting the milkshake and I drank that milkshake and I said man Amos that made me sick to the stomach he said that's crazy he say yeah you're crazy so I had to vomit and I was sick to the stomach I says I'm going to go back to the trucks and see if somebody's going back to the camp I'm going Saturday night so so I went back with the trucks went to bed 5:00 the next morning Sunday Morning Joe scisa the the Corporal the guard came and woke me up and says Jake you're on KP this morning Joel Joel I say I've been sick all night don't give me that everybody is sick when you it's time to go on KP he says get your fatigues on get up to the kitchen I got my fatigues on went up to the kitchen Max Monti was the mess Sergeant he says Jake what's the what's the matter with you he says you're white as a ghost so I told him the story he says is that all you are drinking is milkshake I saids yes it was well he says you you lay down at that end table we don't use that table you lay down on the on the bench and when 8:00 comes you you go to sick call sick call was just across the road from us well Jake I got to move forward a little bit to D-Day because that's kind of what the story is going to be focusing on right before what were you doing right before D-Day in other words where did you I I take it you got it did you assemble in England like everybody else or oh before did they my my God we went overseas when the Japanese hit Pearl Harbor that that put us overseas to help England we were at War then that's when War started so after after Pearl Harbor you got shipped over to England yeah over to North Ireland that's where we did the training okay and while we're over there I had been company clerk for nearly six months to a headquarters company and uh I got in a little tussle there with the captain and I ended up a private and I shipped overseas and he said I'll be climbing poles and stringing wire from now on private Larson I was a Corporal so uh then that was in that was in Ireland right that's I in Ireland and then fifth core came over on the Queen Mary all they had there is just a a presence of a core yeah they they picked up picked up the uh extra men that they needed where they were going like they came over there there's few officers and a few noncoms and and then they build up their units from the population well I was one of that population that I'd been a company clerk expert typist so they transferred me into fifth core I didn't even know know what a core was and into G3 that's G3 is plans and training there's there's four G's in a core G G1 is Personnel G2 is military secrets you go out and get Secrets G3 is plans and training G4 is uh supplies it's it's that simple so that whole that whole thing about learning to type is what put you it just it raised me right up to the top when I transferred into G3 within two months I was back to a Corporal within three months I was a sergeant and I all because you knew how to type yes but I I knew how to type and I when the colonel wanted something down the full bird colonel and he's called G3 yeah and uh I I was just right I got in on the planning of the invasion I got the Brun star for the part of working on the invasion you actually helped plan yes I I knew when dday was going to H happen we we didn't know nobody knew exactly when when it was going to be until it got close and then they picked the 5th of June and uh it came out that there was a storm there so we got delayed for for a day so that's why it's on the 6th of June now say I lived through this stuff I'm like a history book I I I can't help it it's it's crazy so what like if you were going to tell what this is what I actually did in when it came to planning what was the kind of stuff were you were you relaying information no we we mostly built up the units first because everybody was operating in the armies like in World War I yeah the equip equipment we changed completely dress we we have when I join the service we had these wrapper around leggings wer that's World War one we got the canvas ones that just snap on here and and a 1903 rifles that's what we started with then we got the grand so you were you were and this was you were still you were in Ireland still doing all this right so you were planning this thing and they had to kind of like revamp the whole Army while they were going absolutely okay so so I as you as they got closer to D-Day and you understood you knew what no no when we got a closer closer to where they were going to plan the day the colonel took me along with him I've worked on the insides of the invasion every person that landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day every person that landed on Omaha Beach on dday not D day plus one D came through these fingers these fingers I'm showing you right now type their name you feel like you're a part of History don't you I know I'm part of History there's nobody else in my position wow and and this whole time you've been sitting here knowing this did the world know did had you made had you been talking because a lot of veterans didn't talk about what they did in the Army I never told anybody about anything of this it it was at the time there was top secret bot I was top secret bigot she don't go out and blad your mouth around yeah yeah so you couldn't talk to anybody about no but after the war you kept quiet like a lot of people did who I hell would believe me a little farm boy from Hope Minnesota doing this here coming from the Infantry and transferring into core nobody ever got that chance except Jake Larson and that was a kind of a fluke see the the the captain uh of the Infantry there he he had me demoted yeah and he figured well we're going to fix that guy but when core saw that I was a company clerk at one time man that's the people they W they want in there because you know the the the way things are worded you know how type out all that stuff I was a bonus for that for them so did you so when D-Day actually happened where were you what did you do well well I I I I came in on the see see the the things I'm telling you nobody else can tell you I came in on the command ship with Eisenhower with Bradley my my full boo Colonel he had me run alongside of him we were there we had members of the 16th in Infantry Regiment from the first division first Infantry Division on board to protect to protect these high rank guys that were riding up there and I got off with with the 16th infantry and and with got in this in this there was 30 of us went down this rope ladder carrying a pack of 75 lb 74 75 lb and a rifle trying to get into that down that rope ladder and the waves between three and five feet high depends on what what come in that and you you're trying to get down that rope ladder and the boat and trying to aim for the boat and that's going up and down and uh it it was it was hell and the firing they they they were firing long before I ever started in on that and when they let us off of off of that boat to to to walk in where we had water right up to my chin I I I was the first man on that little command boat so I sat right by the pilot so when he he dumped us off prematurely we were too deep outside but we made it we made it too and I we fell in line that that whole Beach under us had over 1 million landmines planets afterwards it found out that yes they had a million and another half a million on top of that and we walked through that think of that from Shore they were shooting at us with small arms I was more afraid of stepping on the landmine than I was the Small Arms Fire coming at us how did you I'm just curious how did you go from planning and being a clerk and planning this thing to all of a sudden being in the actual invasion they just said okay you're finished now go over there and join everybody in the in in the landing that's just about it I had duties I was supposed to take care of in G3 and uh John that night a after I got ashore without getting a scratch Marsh Madison Rich was a Corporal then and uh he he and I were digging our fox holes it was uh about 10 after 7 at night I don't remember M about 3 4 hours there I I don't I don't remember what I don't remember putting up the command post and that was one of my duties I just don't remember putting it up but uh I had found a litter brand new you know what litter is that's where you whole yeah wounded I dug my Foxhole a little bit longer so I could put that down at the bottom that that sand was pretty wet so I figured I put that down that's canvas there and then put my bedding on top I said well I'm going to have something that's dry yeah I had just got that litter down in there and somebody from the from the command post hollers Sergeant Larson Colonel Hill wants to see you immediately so I just walk right into Colonel Hills and he says Sergeant he says I just got word from first Army they want me to keep G3 open 24 4 hours a day you're going to run the night shift I said starting wind sir he said starting right now 7:30 to 7:30 in the morning I says yes sir so I walk back to Madison rich I said Maddie you could sleep in my Foxhole tonight I got that litter in there a jake he says I I got my fart sack all fixed up now so he laid his M1 grand rifle on met litter yeah I I went to work and he went to sleep at midnight a reconnaissance plane German reconnaissance plane came over and dropped these magnesium flares the miniature parachutes SI size of a handkerchief and they had that Sky lit up like Christmas time and our anti-aircraft didn't like that so they started shooting up at him after an hour and a half quiet down I'm I'm inside the command post and I don't think I I don't know where the time went but next thing I knew here somebody was relieving me it was 7:30 in the morning so I I walked by Madison Rich he's uh he reaches down and picks up his rifle off of my litter and the rifle falls into two pieces it's broke right in two a piece of that shrapnel that went up that went up from our anti-aircraft came down and hit that rifle on my litter and broke it in two so if you had been in that litter see what I mean these that book is full of that stuff close never got a scratch how how is it possible that these things happened to me and they're confirmed the only one that knew about that was Madison Rich he he died before he was 70 from Strokes I I didn't even tell anybody about that until I started writing my book and when I went went over on for the 75th anniversary of dday I I told a few people about that and uh got it in my book and is it a relief to tell people about this stuff oh God yes oh God yes yeah I I am I I feel like I'm I'm a messenger for for these guys that gave their life everybody John that I was with every person that I was with over there I was over there for three years three years every person is gone every person is gone I'm the only one left I've got a duty to do defend those guys they got to get some recognition someplace they they never had a chance to grow up get married have a family look at me I'm blessed I'm blessed you can't make this stuff up John you can't make it up you've got to live it so these trips back to Normandy that you're doing it's important part of your life but you're actually feel like you're doing it for others yeah I'm doing it for those that got gave their life yes and that that's what's propelling me to be so high in Tik Tock yeah I I've got uh over 800,000 followers that follow my every word it's it's gone up since then okay tell me a little bit how that started how did you how did you first get on Tik Tok I I I raised one of my grandchildren she girl I I I I worked fulltime in the printing business until I reached 703 I was 73 I I quit working okay this little girl who who was my grandchild was just 3 years years old when I took over her I saw her to every prechool school dancing classes she she was like my own daughter she she through high school she wouldn't even get a driver's license she he wanted Papa to take her to school well she she danced on cruise ships right and she's the one that that's is your granddaughter is the one that started putting things on Tik Tok that you would do y y what was the first one how like in other words how did that start when was the first time that that happened well well Co started when Co started the cruise ship stopped okay she came home okay and uh she she wasn't home a week and she came came to me and she says Papa I I I put you on my on with me on my Tik Tock what the hell is Tik Tock I I didn't know what Tick Tock was I I I I don't even have a cell phone I got landline so so she said well well it's it it's stories it's stories that you you tell where' you get stories she says I I recorded these on on my cell phone you you recorded me and now you put them on Tik Tock yeah she says I I I think I I think people will like them the the next week she came she's Papa I'm taking you off of my Tick Tock I'm going to put you on your own what the hell are you doing you're opening a can of worms here she she says well she says it took me 10 months to get 10,000 viewers you got that in a week oh man so and these Tik Tok videos is you just talk about stuff you mostly talk about the Army and your experience I I talk about just the stuff that I was telling you your experiences in the Army and what and everything like that and so do you think the younger generation even knows what happened in World War II and do you think they're interested in it I've got 12 teachers that teach history that are using my book for the history book what a what an honor that is those kids all wrote little letters to me they call me a hero I I I I write back to him and I tell him I I am not a hero I I I changed that word hero from a h e r o I took the o and I put a to on there here to said what in the world is a here to well I'm here to tell you I'm not a hero I'm here to tell you that those guys that are the heroes are the ones that gave their life so that I can come here and talk to you about so when you go to Normandy and you see those graveyards what kind of feeling does that put in you I I I John you can't make this up I I am I I never went to Sunday school or anything in church when I was a kid but but but when I go to that Cemetery I I feel the presence of The Souls of these guys that gave their life they're with me and I told you I was I had members of the 16th Infantry Regiment from first division on the command ship that I rode in with I I never been in a military history uh mil mil military cemetery be before I had F five different people from five different countries and there was England BBC France one France 2 NBC CBS and uh they're all sitting there waiting for me to go out there and I said what do you want me to do they said go go go up to one of the memorial things and kind of read what it says so so I goes up to the one I'm reading what it says I can't believe what it say it says from the 16th Infantry Regiment this this private was was from the 60 that's the outfit I was with that was guarding my ship ship that I came in so so I I I wear a hat so I took that hat out and ra you don't salute where you're wearing not nonmilitary apparel so so I raised it but the Hat as a salute that went viral that picture that's part of my book too yeah so you you just walked up to a headstone and it happened to be how is that possible how is that possible do you feel like a lot of this is fate that John I I I used to think it was coincidence I know it is not coincidence anymore it just possibly it's too lucky I'm I'm too lucky you think you're here to tell their story oh definitely if if I'm I'm telling you this I have not had an easy you you you think oh here he's sitting there he don't have an acre of pain I had a stroke I couldn't move when I'm 83 when I was 84 I had cardiac arrest you know what Cardiac Arrest is your heart stops your heart stops I had cardiac arrest I happened to be in Kaiser Waller Creek when I had the cardiac arrest I I I woke up the next morning in conquer Mount Diablo with six stents in me and the doctor came around and says how you feeling Mr Larson said God I feel like I'm going home no you're going to be shipped over to San Francisco we got to put five more stamps stance in you I got 11 stance in me and I'm sitting here talking to you what what has this whole experience in your life I always ask this on most stories because everything teaches us something if we're if we pay attention to it has this whole experience taught you something yeah it it it has changed my life I I I couldn't tell a lie about anything I I I I just couldn't I I couldn't do it I I I want people to know what I've felt and what I've gone through because you're speaking for those guys yes yes was America a stronger country back then because of this oh much much much stronger yeah there were there were no denters we were all for think of it I'm a kid I'm going over there for three years I I come back I I I I just turned 22 three years over there I I had it's crazy I I had seven years in the service and three years overseas and I'm 22 it doesn't add up does it it's not the normal way of doing something all right so let me just ask you you're gonna you're about to go over again yes when you go over there now what does it feel like now those people they they they want to touch you it's like magic if if they can let just touch you reach out their hand and run their hand through it or something it's it's weird that that you can instill that kind of a feeling in people does it feel good to you oh God yes they appreciate they wear little bands around their wrist and it just says on that band we remember yes yes I remember too let me let me disconnect you here hold on hold on we got a mic on you you you weren't just in dday you actually ended up in the Battle of the Bulge yes explain what your role was in the Battle of the Bulge right it's the same role as I had on dday remember I I told you the the colonel says Sergeant Larson I I just got word from first Army they want me to keep G3 open 24 hours a day that that that's when the Recon plane came over yes and uh the the the rifle got broken too all right the battle the buls I was 7:30 at night that was on the fif fth 15 I I went to work on the Battle of B Marlene Dietrick was entertaining the troops that night I couldn't go because you had to plan the Battle of the Bulge well no no I had to run G3 I was in charge of G3 right at that time so that's like PL planning and operations is that what you're talking yes I I did all the typing on on messages and stuff that were were being sent out I I I did did all you you know how to use typewriter yeah but not not in a war not in a war zone but yeah I've used the typ well well well your your brain automatically spells things for you but but in the war there was just letters just scrambled up so it's hard it's hard to each one has to be perfect yeah and you you got to keep the same speed all the time those old so so you you did what for the battle of the Bulls you were like you front lines but you were planning stuff or where were you located because I see all the names on there they are part of the battle of the Bulls right yeah yeah that's that's that that's a different that's where they we were each time so you were like at the front in a battlefield command no no we we were with our troops there and uh okay but I mean you weren't like far back you no no no we we we moved right on along with everything else yeah what when were okay let me ask you this when was at what point were you the most scared when I landed on D Day stepping on those landmines avoiding those yeah that makes sense I mean that would after Okay um so I mean that so when the war ended where were you I I was already out out of the war you were out before the war ended yes and by that you mean VE day or the whole War I I I mean the battle of the blls that was your last campaign that was my last campaign and uh Colonel Hill called me in that was December 30th December 3 he he says Sergeant Sergeant Larson he says I I got a 45 day plur for you to go home I said starting winter starting tomorrow I've over there for three years I I had a whole bunch of souvenirs that I kept under Colonel Hill's bed he had a army truck he slipped in so after 3 years in in country three or 3 years doing all this stuff all of a sudden one day a guy comes to you and just says hey you got to go it's time to go when right now I mean is that how it works well they did it on a point system I had the most time in the service the most time overseas so that was I I I had a 127 points I only needed 100 were you happy to leave oh oh God yes my my mother was dying from leakage of the heart when I left three years before okay so there wasn't any feeling I can't I can't leave these guys no 45 days I was going to be back see but but but see instead of 45 days it it took me 51 days to get home to Minnesota 51 days okay and then I had my 45 days at home on April 13th I reported back up to Fort Snelling President Roosevelt died on April 12th the day before so I'm I'm waiting for this Captain to call my name so so he calls Sergeant Larson I come in he says Sergeant I I just got through talking to the Pentagon I said yeah he says I was wondering what I was going to do with you he said he's a captain and so I asked him they said you you can send him back to his unit in Germany or you can give him a discharge I am one of 12 who got out of the service before the war is over they figured You' done enough yeah think of it I'm I'm walking history I I don't think I'm any different than anybody else I don't like being called a hero my life is crazy I'm just that farm boy from Hope are you glad you went through that experience I I don't know hard to answer that it's uh I mean looking back on it now yeah looking back at now when we when we went over there we we're willing to lay down our lives everyone who who went over there to fight you go over there with no expectations of coming home and here I come home with out of scratch and my experiences is beyond anybody's that I've ever known and I can sit here and recall these I can recall the names of the officers how how is that possible I don't think I'm any brighter than anyone else anything else you want people to know would you tell your story what's the what's the most important thing you want people to know I I I want to know that war is Hell there a lot of good people end up dead they they don't end up having the life that I have had how how lucky can you get you got you raise a granddaughter and she grows up dancing she comes home and puts you on Tik Tok it it's like propelling me to the moon I I never never knew I'm I'm getting mail from people they said Jake you can't imagine what your life your your life and your experience has changed our life I'm a very positive person no negativity in me and I spread that kind of positiveness around and it rubs off on people that that's a wonderful thing for me to spread that being positive hi thanks so much for watching to view more content like this we've selected some videos that we think you'll enjoy and don't forget to like or click that button here on the bottom left your screen to subscribe

Channel: KPIX | CBS NEWS BAY AREA

Views: 12,733

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Id: W2Rt3zG60rs

Length: 65min 28sec (3928 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 07 2024