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00:00 In the backyard of his California home, Jake Larson loves hoisting the flags of the two
00:05 countries he fought so hard to protect 80 years ago. This is one of the heroes of the
00:10 Second World War, who landed on the Normandy beaches in 1944. He has an emotional attachment
00:16 to both the United States and France.
00:18 I'm getting tears in my eyes because I love them both. It is part of my life,
00:26 and the bigger part of my life. If we wouldn't have kicked Hitler's ass out of France,
00:32 we'd have been talking German here.
00:35 Jake signed up to the US National Guard at just 15 years old, before ending up in the infantry.
00:42 On the morning of the 6th of June 1944, he and his comrades landed on Omaha Beach.
00:49 We got off in water that was up to my chin, and we were warned that the beach was mined.
00:59 It's crazy. And I had two MG42 machine guns shooting at me from different angles above.
01:09 Once on the beach, Jake hid himself behind a small rock,
01:15 where he suddenly felt the need for a cigarette.
01:19 At that time, everybody smoked, so I sensed a soldier to my left.
01:25 And I said, "Hey, buddy, have you got a match?" I got no answer. So I looked,
01:34 and there was a soldier there, all right. And there was no head under the helmet.
01:44 It's like that soldier's soul was talking to me and telling me, "Get up right now and run."
01:54 The 101-year-old veteran has made sure to keep his memories of the Normandy landings alive,
02:00 passing them on to his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
02:05 Papa, how do you feel about going back to Normandy?
02:08 With the rise of modern technology and with the help of his family,
02:12 Jake started to share his story across social media.
02:15 Papa Jake here.
02:16 Papa Jake, as he is known, now has over 800,000 followers and over 8.5 million likes on TikTok.
02:23 It's really cool because we get the chance to show everyone.
02:26 It's like I've grown up with him my whole life.
02:28 Papa Jake's biggest fans are here in France.
02:32 He met these children two years ago at the Normandy landings commemorations.
02:40 In a few days, Jake will be back on Omaha Beach
02:43 to honour his comrades who fell in battle, who he calls the true heroes of the landings.