101-Year-Old WWII Veteran Commemorates D-Day Anniversary

AS WE MENTIONED, IT WAS 80 YEARS AGO TODAY IN 1944 THAT ALLIED FORCES STORMED THE BEACHES HERE IN NORMANDY TO LIBERATE EUROPE.

NOW IN 2024, VETERANS ARE RETURNING TO PAY TRIBUTE TO THEIR FALLEN COMRADES, AND TO ENSURE THE WORLD NEVER FORGETS THAT SACRIFICE.

AS TIME MARCHES ON, THE NUMBER OF THOSE FROM THAT GREATEST GENERATION RETURNING HERE GROWS FEWER AND FEWER.

BUT FOR THOSE WHO ARE HERE, THEIR VOICES RING LOUDER THAN EVER.

AMONG THEM, D-DAY VETERAN JAKE LARSON, WHO HAS TAKEN HIS MESSAGE TO SOCIAL MEDIA GIANT TIKTOK, AMASSING ALMOST A MILLION FOLLOWERS.

I LAST SPOKE WITH JAKE HERE AT THE 75th ANNIVERSARY.

THAT WAS 2019.

AND TODAY IN THE NORMANDY AMERICAN CEMETERY, WE MET AGAIN.

JAKE LARSON, IT'S GREAT TO SEE YOU AGAIN.

IT WAS FIVE YEARS AGO WE FIRST MET HERE.

AND NOW HOW OLD YOU?

>> I'M GOING TO BE 102 IN DECEMBER.

>> WOW.

WHAT IS THE SECRET OF YOUR HEALTH AND LONGEVITY?

>> I'LL HAVE TO SAY DON'T DIE!

>> IT'S A GOOD ONE, DON'T DIE.

YOU PROBABLY DIDN'T KNOW WHETHER YOU WOULD SURVIVE 80 YEARS AGO TODAY, DID YOU, WHEN YOU LANDED ON OMAHA?

>> GOD NO.

I WAS AFRAID OF THOSE LAND MINES THEY PUT IN THE BEACH THERE.

WE WERE GETTING SMALL ARMS FIRE, BUT I WAS AFRAID TO STEP ON ONE OF THOSE MINES.

GERMANS HAD -- THAT TIME, IT WAS A MILLION MINES.

AND WHEN THEY STARTED TAKING THEM OUT, THEY FOUND 1.5 MILLION.

>> WOW.

YOU WERE ONE OF THE LUCKY ONES.

>> I WAS.

>> DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS LIKE WHEN ALL OF THE SUDDEN YOU FIND YOURSELF GETTING OUT OF ONE OF THOSE LANDING CRAFT.

YOU'RE ON THAT BEACH.

DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS LIKE?

>> OH, DO I.

LIKE IT WAS YESTERDAY.

I GOT ON A LANDING CRAFT, AND I HAD WATER RIGHT UP TO MY CHIN.

THEY LET US OUT A LITTLE TOO FAR.

BUT HE WAS JUST A 17-YEAR-OLD PILOT FOR THAT BOAT.

>> WELL, YOU WERE ALL KIDS?

>> WE WERE ALL KIDS, YES.

>> AND DID YOU KNOW THEN WHAT YOU WERE FIGHTING FOR?

>> OH, DEFINITELY.

THAT WE KNEW, EVERY ONE OF US.

>> TELL US.

>> EVERY ONE OF US WAS PREPARING TO GIVE OUR LIFE TO KICK HITLER'S ASS OUT OF EUROPE.

>> AND YOU DID.

>> AND WE DID.

WE LOST QUITE A FEW OF -- I LOST FRIENDS.

EVERYBODY LOST FRIENDS.

BUT WE -- WE WERE SOLDIERS.

WE WERE PREPARED TO GIVE OUR LIFE.

>> AND NOW YOU OBVIOUSLY A FATHER, A GRANDFATHER, A GREAT GRANDFATHER, AND YOUR GREAT GRANDCHILDREN AND YOUR GRANDCHILDREN ARE MAKING YOU INTO A SOCIAL MEDIA STAR.

YOU'RE ON TIKTOK, JAKE, SINCE WE LAST MET.

>> I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT HAPPENED.

>> HOW DID IT HAPPEN?

>> IT'S CRAZY.

>> AND YOU GO BY PAPA JAKE.

YOU HAVE AN ACTUAL NAME.

>> YES.

>> AND WHY DO YOU DO IT?

>> YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT ME.

IT'S MY GRANDDAUGHTER.

SHE SAID OH, IT'S JUST A LITTLE STORYTELLING THING, SHE SAYS.

AND I PUT A COUPLE OF YOUR STORIES ON MY TIKTOK.

SHE CAME BACK WITHIN A WEEK AND SAID PAPA, I'M TAKING YOU OFF OF MY TIKTOK.

I'M GOING TO PUT YOU ON YOUR OWN.

I SAID YOU'RE OPENING A CAN OF WORMS HERE.

WHY ARE YOU PUTTING ME ON BY MYSELF?

SHE SAYS BECAUSE YOU SHOWED ME UP ON MINE.

IT TOOK ME TEN MONTHS TO GET 10,000 VIEWERS.

YOU GOT THAT IN A WEEK.

>> AND HOW MANY DO YOU HAVE NOW?

>> WELL, THE LAST TIME I TALKED, 800,000.

IT'S JUST ON THE VERGE OF A MILLION.

>> YEP, IT IS JUST ON THE VERGE OF A MILLION.

AND JAKE, WHAT STORIES YOU TELLING?

WHAT DO YOU WANT YOUNG PEOPLE TO KNOW?

>> I'M TELLING THE STORIES OF MY LIFE AND I'M A UNIQUE PERSON.

WHEN I WAS 15 YEARS OLD AND MY COUSIN CHICK WAS 15 YEARS OLD, HE SAID WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY MONEY.

WE'RE GOING TO HIGH SCHOOL WITH NO MONEY.

SO HE SAID LET'S JOIN THE NATIONAL GUARD.

I SAID WE GOT TO BE 15.

OR 18.

HE SAYS WE'RE JUST 15.

HE SAYS LET'S GO TO THE ARMORY ANY WAY AND TELL THEM WE WANT TO JOIN.

AND WE'LL LOOK THEM STRAIGHT IN THE EYE AND SAY -- WHEN THEY SAY HOW OLD ARE YOU, WE'LL SAY 18, 18.

SO WE WENT TO THE NATIONAL GUARD, AND THERE WAS A HUGE CAPTAIN SITTING THERE.

HE LOOKED UP AND SAID "WHAT CAN I DO FOR YOU, YOUNG MEN?"

YOUNG MEN, SEE?

WOW!

AND I'M THINKING, 18, 18.

AND HE SAYS WHAT YEAR WERE YOU BORN?

WOW.

SO I SAID 1919, SIR.

SAME RIGHT HERE.

THAT'S THE ONLY THING HE ASKED.

WE BOTH GOT INTO THE NATIONAL GUARD AT 15.