US Veteran Returns to France 80 Years after Surviving D-Day
2024-06-05
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1In 1944, Jake Larson was carrying a backpack with 34 kilograms of gear as the boat he was in got closer to Omaha Beach in France.
2Omaha Beach was the name given to one of the five landing places on the coast of Normandy where allied forces landed on D-Day.
3Larson was an American soldier who was about to jump out of a boat and begin fighting Germany's Nazi forces in World War II.
4Today, he is 101 years old and has 800,000 followers on TikTok.
5He tells his stories of fighting in the war on the social media service.
6On June 6, he will be back in France for the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion.
7Larson was one of 150,000 soldiers who landed in France that day.
8Many did not survive.
9Larson said he jumped out of the boat and into water that was up to his neck. German fighters fired guns and shells at the landing soldiers.
10Larson said he got to the beach and avoided both the gunfire and the landmines buried in the sand.
11He said he tells his story to honor the soldiers who died on that day.
12Talking about the soldiers who died in the water and on the beach, Larson said: "Those guys there, those there are the ones that deserve recognition. And I'm here to make sure that happens. I honor those guys," he told the Reuters news service from his home in Martinez, California.
13He remembers everything from that day.
14He calls himself "the last man." There are very few people now living who fought on that day in June.
15Larson wears a black jacket with the words "WWII Survivor" on it.
16It has symbols of the six major battles in Europe that he survived, including the famous Battle of the Bulge.
17Larson is also known as "Papa Jake."
18He started his military service by joining the National Guard in his home state of Minnesota.
19His group was called to action at the start of the war.
20It was sent to Londonderry in Northern Ireland. Larson moved to the Army V Corps before the D-Day invasion.
21After getting out of the boat and holding his weapon above his head to keep it dry, he found a safe spot by some large stones.
22He took out a cigarette and tried to light it, but his matches were too wet.
23He turned to the man next to him and yelled, "Hey, buddy, have you got a match?"
24When he got no answer, Larson said he looked again.
25The man next to him was dead. He said he felt like he could hear the man saying, "Get up and run right now."
26Larson started running, and he survived the fight.
27In the last four years, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Larson and his granddaughter started posting his memories on TikTok.
28Many people answered.
29They say things like "thank you, thank you, Jake."
30He said the people say his stories have changed their lives.
31"It's an honor for me to hear something like that," Larson said.
32"It keeps me going. People thank me for being a hero...I am here to tell you I am not a hero."
33I'm Dan Friedell.
1In 1944, Jake Larson was carrying a backpack with 34 kilograms of gear as the boat he was in got closer to Omaha Beach in France. 2Omaha Beach was the name given to one of the five landing places on the coast of Normandy where allied forces landed on D-Day. 3Larson was an American soldier who was about to jump out of a boat and begin fighting Germany's Nazi forces in World War II. 4Today, he is 101 years old and has 800,000 followers on TikTok. He tells his stories of fighting in the war on the social media service. 5On June 6, he will be back in France for the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. Larson was one of 150,000 soldiers who landed in France that day. Many did not survive. 6Larson said he jumped out of the boat and into water that was up to his neck. German fighters fired guns and shells at the landing soldiers. 7Larson said he got to the beach and avoided both the gunfire and the landmines buried in the sand. 8He said he tells his story to honor the soldiers who died on that day. Talking about the soldiers who died in the water and on the beach, Larson said: "Those guys there, those there are the ones that deserve recognition. And I'm here to make sure that happens. I honor those guys," he told the Reuters news service from his home in Martinez, California. 9He remembers everything from that day. He calls himself "the last man." There are very few people now living who fought on that day in June. 10Larson wears a black jacket with the words "WWII Survivor" on it. It has symbols of the six major battles in Europe that he survived, including the famous Battle of the Bulge. 11Larson is also known as "Papa Jake." He started his military service by joining the National Guard in his home state of Minnesota. His group was called to action at the start of the war. It was sent to Londonderry in Northern Ireland. Larson moved to the Army V Corps before the D-Day invasion. 12After getting out of the boat and holding his weapon above his head to keep it dry, he found a safe spot by some large stones. He took out a cigarette and tried to light it, but his matches were too wet. He turned to the man next to him and yelled, "Hey, buddy, have you got a match?" 13When he got no answer, Larson said he looked again. The man next to him was dead. He said he felt like he could hear the man saying, "Get up and run right now." Larson started running, and he survived the fight. 14In the last four years, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Larson and his granddaughter started posting his memories on TikTok. 15Many people answered. 16They say things like "thank you, thank you, Jake." He said the people say his stories have changed their lives. "It's an honor for me to hear something like that," Larson said. "It keeps me going. People thank me for being a hero...I am here to tell you I am not a hero." 17I'm Dan Friedell. 18Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a report by Reuters. 19________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21backpack -n. a bag for carrying things on the back 22gear -n. (informal) equipment, supplies and tools that are needed for a task or trip 23deserve -v. to say or show that someone ought to have something or should be treated in a certain way 24symbol -n. an object, sign or design that represents something else, often an idea, belief, event or reached goal 25buddy -n. (informal) a friend 26We want to hear from you. Do you know any veterans from World War II?