Jake Larson, 96, is a World War II veteran who lives in San Francisco, according to The New York Times. Larson is the last surviving member of his company, which was one of the units to storm Omaha Beach.
To the publication, Larson revealed that his military regiment’s motto was “To the last man.” He said, “I am the last man…I never thought I’d be alive 75 years later. I’m the luckiest guy in the world.”
For the 75th anniversary of D-Day, the day upon which 160,000 Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy, Larson will be returning to France, thanks to the support of a GoFundMe campaign on his behalf.
Here’s what you need to know:
Larson Is Believed to Be the Only Living Survivor of the 34th Infantry Division
According to The Daily Democrat, Larson, who is the believed to be the only living survivor of the 34th Infantry Division, has a number of awards to his name: the Individual Award of the Bronze Service Arrowhead for participating in an “amphibious” assault in Normandy, three Battle Stars, the American Defense Service Ribbon and the French Legion of Honor.
To the publication, Larson said he joined the military at 15 years old, lying about his age and joining the National Guard so that he could receive steady pay. He said, “This is when Hitler was rising…and we knew that we were going to have a conflict with that guy.”
By the time Larson was 18, the publication reports, he was sent to New York to work on the Normandy plans, because of his typing abilities. He said, “I was a buck sergeant…We were classified top-secret BIGOT (the highest security clearance). It meant I was doing my job. … I put everything I had into it; they absolutely trusted me.”
As for his experience storming Normandy, Larson remembered how sick everyone was on the boats, and that when he reached the beach, he wanted to stop for a cigarette to calm his nerves. He said, “I turned around and there was a soldier there and I said, ‘Hey, buddy, do you have a match?’ But then I saw there was no head under the helmet, and I jumped up and I ran as hard as I could and made it to the cliffs.”
After leaving the military, Larson spent his professional life working as a technician at a printing business in Berkeley, California, per The New York Times. According to KTVU, Larson is almost finished writing a book about his experiences, which will be titled The Luckiest Man in the World. He said he just has one more chapter to write after he visits France in June. To The Times, he said his life was “unbelievable to this little old farm boy from Hope, Minn.” He added, “To me, I’m in heaven.”
A GoFundMe Campaign Raised Over $11,000 For Larson to Return to France for D-Day
For Larson, a GoFundMe campaign was created to raise the money necessary for Larson to return to France for the 75th anniversary of D-Day, which will take place in June. The summary for the campaign reads in part,
[Jake] was devastated to find out that the Army will not sponsor him due to the fact all of his military records were destroyed in a fire in 1970! …The goal of this campaign is to send Jake and his son to France for the historic anniversary and celebration of the service members who battled in the war and gave their lives for their country. Jake is 96 and is the ONLY living survivor from his military unit that stormed Omaha Beach during the battle of Normandy in June of 1944. Jake has received a bronze star from the United States Army for his service. In addition to the Bronze Star, the French Republic also awarded him the Legion of Honor, the most prestigious decoration awarded in France.
The campaign had a fundraising goal of $10,000, but has since surpassed $11,000 in donations. Now, Larson will be able to go to France with his two sons and two grandsons. To KTVU, he said that the GoFundMe started when he was talking to some neighbors in his local bagel shop about how badly he wanted to go to France. He said, “They were saying fund me. And I thought they were talking about fun. So I didn’t know how that would work out.”