Tales of Leadership

#100 Jake Larson "Papa Jake" - WWII Veteran

• Joshua K. McMillion • Episode 100

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🎙 Episode Title: The Luckiest Man in the World – Leadership Lessons from 102-Year-Old WWII Veteran “Papa Jake”

In this powerful episode of Tales of Leadership, I sit down with Jake Larson—affectionately known as “Papa Jake”—a 102-year-old World War II veteran and national treasure whose story has captivated millions across the world.

Born during the Great Depression and raised on a farm in rural Minnesota, Jake’s journey took him from poverty to the front lines of history. At just 15 years old, he joined the National Guard by lying about his age. That bold decision would place him on the path to help plan the D-Day invasion as part of G3 Operations. Armed with a skill most overlooked—typing—Jake was responsible for processing the very orders that sent thousands of men onto Omaha Beach, including himself.

In this episode, we explore:

  • How a typing class in high school saved his life and shaped his service
  • What it was like growing up during the Great Depression
  • His harrowing first-person account of surviving Omaha Beach under fire
  • The leadership philosophy he carried throughout the war—and still lives by today
  • How humility, mentorship, and storytelling can carry a legacy across generations

📲 Follow Papa Jake & Learn More:

🫡 My Why: I’ve seen the cost of poor leadership — how it can destroy morale, break trust, and in the worst cases, lead to lives lost, including through suicide. That’s why I’ve committed my life to helping others lead with purpose. Through Tales of Leadership, I share real stories and actionable insights on how to overcome adversity and become the kind of leader people remember for the right reasons.

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- Joshua K. McMillion

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Introducing Papa Jake: 101-Year-Old WWII Veteran

Speaker 1

You're listening to the Tales of Leadership podcast. This podcast is for leaders at any phase on their leadership journey to become a more purposeful and accountable leader what I like to call a pal. Join me on our journey together towards transformational leadership.

Speaker 2

All right team, welcome back to the Tales of Leadership podcast. I am your host, josh McMillian. I'm an active duty army officer and an army leadership coach and the founder of McMillian Leadership Coaching, and I am on a mission to create a better leader what I like to call a purposeful, accountable leader. My vision is to positively affect 1 million lives by 2032 by sharing transformational leadership stories and skills, and on today's episode, I'm probably going to be sharing the most impactful leadership story that I have found yet, and that is Jake Larson, affectionately known as Papa Jake. He truly is an amazing individual. He just celebrated his 101st birthday and he is a veteran of World War II.

Speaker 2

Mr Larson grew up on a farm with no electricity or running water in Hope, minnesota. During the Great Depression, he helped plan D-Day, escaped death on Omaha Beach and at one stage, was under the command of Senior British Army Officer Field Marshall Montgomery. Recently, he has found fame on TikTok. Michaela Larson, papa Jake's granddaughter, created a TikTok account for her. Papa Jake, after a video posted about his service in May of 2020, went absolutely viral from the Second World War, including near-death experiences and his pride at moving ranks from an infantry soldier to joining G3 Fifth Corps and helping to plan D-Day's landing, which is absolutely incredible.

Speaker 2

At the bottom line, jake is a purposeful, accountable leader and a couple admin notes. I typically always end with the killer bees. I didn't do that with Jake. This episode is about double the link that they normally are and there's a lot of free floating towards the end of this, of where we're not really following necessarily a structure. But every single minute that you can hear papa jake talk is an absolute treasure, because the amount of wisdom that he shares is just phenomenal and it was an honor and a privilege to have him on the show.

Speaker 3

So, without further ado, we're just going to jump right into it with papa jake it's all paid off in the end because I was in before the war, before I was down in Louisiana for the Louisiana maneuvers nearly a year when the Japanese hit Pearl Harbor and I was a company clerk and I just got busted. I just got busted from a corporal down to a private. When Pearl Harbor came and it changed my life. I was sent overseas to North Ireland to help the British and I got transferred into headquarters G3, 5th Corps. I got in on the plans of the invasion coming from an infantry. My life is unbelievable. If you haven't read my book, I would recommend you read that. I've got 11 teachers that teach you, teaching their history. They're using the book as the history book.

Speaker 2

That's incredible. So the book is. Let me make sure I get that.

Speaker 3

The Luckiest man in the World, the.

Speaker 2

Luckiest man in the World and Amazon is the publisher, correct? Yes, so I am going to read that and I had an opportunity to kind of at least skim through it. I don't have the book yet, but that is something that I plan to read and that walks through really your whole story, starting in a homestead in South Dakota, and then you, growing up on a family farm, did you have seven brothers and then you had a sister.

Speaker 3

No, there were six boys and two girls.

Speaker 2

Okay, so seven total siblings.

Speaker 3

Yeah, well, I had seven siblings, but there was eight of us in the family. I was number seven.

Speaker 2

The lucky number seven. Yes, I love that Number seven. Yes, I love that. You kind of growing up on a homestead. I would love to just start there because I'm just so curious of. Life is different now. I think, like within families and the dynamics of families back then, everyone had chores that they had to do and you had to do those chores before you could do other things that you wanted to do, those chores before you could do other things that you wanted. What were some of the challenges that you had to face as a family together and how did you guys work through that on the farm?

Speaker 3

Well, I grew up in the Depression. In 1923. I started growing up. I was born in 22 and people took me for a year older because there was only 11 days left in 1922. Yeah, it was 1923. So I, I started grade school, first grade, when I was four years old. And four years old and people said, well, how could you do that? Well, the school board said that if I turned five before the first of the year of the next year, I could start grade school early. So I graduated eighth grade 12 years old and started high school at 12 years old. It seems weird, huh?

Speaker 2

So you started high school at 12, but I know that didn't your brother help you get the opportunity to go to high school?

Speaker 3

My brother, earl, who was 14 years older than me when I came home from passing the eighth grade in a country school no electricity, no running water and the teacher wrote a little note and put it in my pocket On the way home. I had to read that note and it said Mr and Mrs Larson, I recommend you give Jake a chance to go to high school. He's a fast learner. So I put it back in my pocket and gave it to my mother. Of course she shared it with my dad and my dad said there'll be no high school. I got him to do his chores. I got him to do his chores takes the place of high school. So all summer long I did work around the farm, had chores to do, and the chores were taking care of the cattle and milking cows. Every morning, every night and when school was on we'd come in from the barn, clean up, eat breakfast and then go to school. There was no electricity, no running water, radio was just being heard of.

Speaker 3

The government was selling licenses to build your own station and after they got the license they didn't know what to do. After they got the station built, they didn't know what to put on there. So a lot of them would read poems. It was crazy. Then Sears and Roebuck started a station in Chicago and they put on the Saturday night barn dance. Gene Autry got his start there. He played there every Saturday night for $5 a night. Wow, it's crazy.

Speaker 2

Now that would probably be at least I don't know $50,000 a night, something like that around there.

Speaker 3

You'll figure out that.

From Farm Boy to Soldier: Joining at 15

Speaker 2

But yeah, transitioning. You started your high school when you were 12 years old. You graduated probably around the time that you were 15, and then you had the idea that you wanted to go join the national guard. Can you, can you?

Speaker 3

no, I joined the national guard while I was in high school.

Speaker 2

Oh, you joined it while you were in high school.

Speaker 3

Yes, we had the National Guard right there in Ota, minnesota. They were advertising that they wanted to fill their unit. This is when Hitler took the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia.

Speaker 2

In 1938. In 1938.

Speaker 3

And he annexed Austria. So my cousin Chick and I we would meet on Sundays. On Sundays, and we're walking around Owatonna, I had to work for my room and boards. I had to help a lady that ran a boarding house, mrs Myers, for eight room and boarders and it was my job for my room and board to help her do the dishes and clean up the mess after serving the people. And you know it was crazy, we had no money, no money at all.

Speaker 3

So Chick and I were walking around by the Roxy Theater and Gene Autry was featured. I said Sunday, it was a Saturday, because Saturday matinee they featured Gene Autry, america's Favorite Cowboy, and Ten Cents matinee we didn't have a penny between us. He says let's join the National Guard. They're advertising, they want to fill the unit. I says, chick, we're 15 years old, you have to be 18. Years old, you have to be 18. He says, right across the park from the theater there was the armory where the National Guard met. He says let's go over there and tell them we want to join the National Guard and when they ask you how old you are, look them right in the eye and say 18, sir.

Speaker 2

Now, who did they ask first? Did they ask you, how old you were, or did they ask Chick?

Speaker 3

They asked me. When I came in there, there was a big captain sitting at his desk and he looked up and he says what can I do for you, young men? Wow, that gives you encouragement. Young men were 15. So so I said, sir, we'd like to go join the national guard. And I'm looking at him, I'm thinking 18, 18, 18, and he looks up at me and he says what year were you born? Wait, a minute, that wasn't wait. This is supposed to work out. But I I was pretty sharp on my math so I thought, man, if I have to back up three years or a lad three years, I have to back up my birthday. So I took three away from from 22 and it says 1919, sir he's. He just says sign right here they didn't even check anything.

Speaker 3

That's crazy no checking at all. So chick and I got in right at the and every every monday night for two hours we'd drill and then we'd go to high school. See the next day and pretty soon others were joining the National Guard. When we got in, that unit filled up that's the unit I went down to camp. We were put in the Federal Service February 10th 1941, before Pearl Harbor. So I got down there and I had a penicillus and before they got me into the hospital it burst and I had some sick leave at home. When I came back I found out I was transferred to headquarters company as a company clerk because I had a year of typing while I was in high school and that, that typing class that you took, what wasn't that predominantly for the, the female students, but you had an opportunity to do it I was the one boy in a class of wow but, but I could type 50 words a minute.

Speaker 3

By the time I had one year in. And those girls you're better than me right now those girls that took typing for a living and they went two years at typing. They took just a second year. So now I'm at an impasse here. If you want to hear the rest of this story, it's going to take a time.

Speaker 2

Well, I would love to hear it all. 18. I know you go to Louisiana. I was stationed in Louisiana for four years at Fort Polk. I can't remember what the name of the new base is, where they renamed it. What were your thoughts on Louisiana?

Speaker 3

Well, we weren't welcome In 1941, the war was going on in Europe and the United States was strictly against war. So as soldiers you'd likely be spit upon. And I remember going into Alexandria. We were at Camp Claiborne, 18 miles out of alexandra, louisiana, and we went in there on a sunday and we were going to the swimming pool. We went to the swimming pool and it says dogs and soldiers not allowed. Oh wow, that's how we were treated and that's a slap in the face to a youngster like I was at that time.

Speaker 2

Yeah, especially someone so young who's been willing to make a sacrifice and volunteer for their country. And right after that, shortly, you know, Pearl Harbor happens, December 7th 1941.

Speaker 3

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2

What was that experience like? And you lived through 9-11 too. Was that similar to a 9-11 moment, or was that just something totally different?

Speaker 3

Yeah, it was like unbelievable because we didn't even know what Pearl Harbor was, pearl Harbor what the Japanese bombed, pearl Harbor. Where's Pearl Harbor? We didn't know. But when we found out, the country found out about the same time we did and that stirred up the people who voted against war to volunteer. They actually volunteered their services.

Speaker 2

That's a major shift. I think within the US at that time that was a major shift. It was like they cut the that time like that.

Speaker 3

That was a major shift. It was like they cut the head off the rooster, you know, and they wanted to settle that that score right away where did your World War II Journey start?

Speaker 2

was it in G3 was? Was that your first assignment of ending that campaign?

Speaker 3

Well, it started right there in headquarters company. I was a company clerk for headquarters company. You've got to read the book. There's a lot of particulars in here. And when I got transferred in there I was transferred in as a corporal company clerk. I was transferred in as a corporal. Come take clerk and Captain Ray J Erickson was my senior officer there and he asked for a table of be a sergeant with a corporal helper. I'm a corporal with no helper. I was supposed to be a sergeant. So I brought this up to Captain Erickson and he says before you got here, I gave that sergeant rating to one of my friends and I can't just take it away from him and give it back.

Speaker 2

But I'll get you a helper.

Speaker 3

So he got me a helper that couldn't type and he was a corporal.

Speaker 2

As a supply clerk.

Speaker 3

Wow. Now Colonel Smith came out and told the company clerks this is right after Pearl Harbor happened. He knew we were going to go to war. So he came out and said go back and tell your commanding officer that I am authorizing 15-day furloughs back to Minnesota for all those who haven't had a furlough in the past year. So I went to Captain Erickson and told him that Instead of saying, corporal, you take care of that and make out the papers and everything and I'll sign them, he said, corporal, you go up the check those records and for everybody who hasn't had a furlough in the past year, you give them a furlough for seven days. Seven days, sir.

Speaker 3

We're in, we're in Louisiana. This is the middle of winter in Minnesota. It's going to take them seven days. They'll have to turn right around and come back. They'll probably make it Turn around and come back. Commanding officer of this unit, you do as you're told. I said yes, sir. Well, I found about 50 guys 50, maybe three, four including jake larson who hadn't had it for low in the past year. Year, a funny thing happened. My typewriter made a mistake and it printed 15 on nine 15 days of a furlough instead of a seven, like it's all on the list and Captain Erickson signed it.

Speaker 2

Oh wow, Now was that a lucky mistake, or was that?

Planning D-Day and Surviving Omaha Beach

Speaker 3

Of course it was a lucky. It was an intentional lucky mistake Because I rode up home with two of my cousins, chick Canole, and the company I came from had 15 day furloughs, so I ran in.

Speaker 2

I love how you were able to take care of your family, like your soldiers and family. That's why that's why I always see it, and that the commander didn't even review it. He just signed it when you, when you had to do it view it.

Speaker 3

He just signed it when you, when you handed it to him and and when he ripped off my corporal stripes. When I came back, he says I I should court-martial you. I says what reason could you have for court-martialed me, sir? I was going to start in his face that he signed it. And he says in his face that he signed it. And he says, well, he knew he did wrong. But by that time he says you're going to be go to a wire section. You'll be climbing poles and stringing wire from now on. Ship to new jersey, fort dix and the three, three cousins, went to new york and while we were going by the port there, french luxury liner normally was burning at the docks down there. And what we saw in new york I was looking out of the headband of uh statue of liberty man. It's a, it's a wonderful place. And uh, walking by times square, a pigeon came down and shit on my shoulder. I'm going to lay a spree on a farm and I never had that happen to me.

Speaker 3

I had to go to New York to have that happen to me.

Speaker 2

I grew up in rural West Virginia and the first time that that ever happened to me was in Boston, Massachusetts, when I went there for work for the Army.

Speaker 3

You know what I mean. The pigeons are wild. They're not afraid of anybody. Our pigeons were afraid of us.

Speaker 2

When you transitioned to G3 in operations, did you do that because you had those typing skills that you learned in high school?

Speaker 3

Typing is what made it. I could beat anybody typing and I was dedicated. When I was given a job, I never questioned why I was paid. I did it as fast as I could and, being a good typist, I didn't make mistakes and, my God, I was in G3 one month before I was a corporal again. Wow.

Speaker 3

And I was moved over to Colonel Hill. John G Hill, full bird colonel. I was moved over right in front of his door. I was in command of the tables of organization An enormous job. And the Pentagon was renewing all the stuff for every unit at that time, so everything had it was all World War I stuff, oh wow. So my golly, I wasn't over there for a month and I was a sergeant.

Speaker 2

That's amazing. When did you get that? So it's a different classification now, like I have a TSSCI. Get that, um, so it's a different classification now, like I have a tssci. You had a top secret bigot, right it was the classification when?

Speaker 3

when did you get that? I got that over in portsmouth, that's that when they're in those balonies there. We went over there. There's one way in and, yeah, it's, you know, like a ring of baloney. It's one end to the other end. That's how those were set up and I I was in the horror, was even in one of those things there while I was there. But but you were classified and you had to wear a badge with your picture on there and those guards, as many times you go through, they would check each time to make sure somebody didn't impersonate somebody. You know.

Speaker 2

Oh yeah, especially during that time like the world was at war. When did you start to help planning directly? D-day?

Speaker 3

When we typed it up I did. All the typing on every person that landed on Omaha Beach came through my fingers.

Speaker 2

That is insane.

Speaker 3

How long?

Speaker 2

Go ahead. I just want to shape this for anyone that's ever going to get to listen to this. I think there's over 7,000 ships and that took 195,000 Navy personnel just alone to operate those ships. There were 133 allied troops. I think there was over 10,300 casualties at the landing and then from start to invasion to the end of the month in June, there were over 850 men. That landed 148,000 vehicles and then 570,000 tons of supplies. This is a major operation and it humbles me, being an Iraq and an Afghanistan veteran, just the sheer magnitude of that single operation, and it changed the European front.

Speaker 3

This is the largest operation the world has ever known. This is the top of the list.

Speaker 2

I know you also. This was your first. This was your first combat mission, the first one that you went on.

Speaker 3

Oh, definitely, oh definitely. Yeah, I I rolled in on the command ship with Eisenhower Bradley Montgomery. It's like I'm making this stuff up. You can't make this up. How would I know about it?

Speaker 2

What was it like? Because I'm just, you know when, know, doing air assaults and stuff in Afghanistan and flying around and seeing like the spectacle of war, I guess is a good way of saying it. But just being out there and seeing endless ships everywhere, can you still remember that feeling?

Speaker 3

Oh, do I ever? Do I ever? I have to now tell you I was supposed to land on D-Day at 8.30 in the morning. They were the Germans, held us up. They were trying to kill us. When I went in there and they killed a lot of guys on the way in there.

Speaker 3

And remember, when you come in and walking through that water, water was up to my neck and holding my rifle above and I was the first one on that landing craft. So I sat back by the pilot and to fill in with 30 guys there and we went around and around in a big circle waiting for the time to get in there. They wouldn't let us in. There were others going around in circles and we were being shot at from shore and then when we did get off of that, I was the last guy off and we went in a line.

Speaker 3

That beach under our feet was loaded with mines over one million mines. And when you're going in there other landing craft were going same as us. You know they had to get in there and they were walking one behind the other and you glance over there and the spout of water come out of there. You knew somebody stepped on a landmine. I was more afraid of stepping on landmines we were receiving small arms fire than I was of receiving small arms fire. Then it wasn't a small arms fire you were receiving small arms fire from.

Speaker 2

I think it was two mg-42 machine guns yeah, yeah, two mg-42, yes I was shot.

Speaker 2

I was shot at, you know, by a pkm, round, round one time and I was scared. I could only imagine going through frigid, cold water up to your neck and then getting on the beach and having your knowledge because you had way more knowledge than anyone else that was on that beach, at least at your rank, because you helped plan the entire evasion one else that was on that beach, at least at your rank, because you helped plan the entire evasion. So you knew what obstacles were going to be there Over a million mines with direct anti-tank obstacles fed in and all of the different obstacles that were layered in in terms of the wires. When you finally got up to the cliffs cliffs, did you have what? What was your feeling at that point?

Speaker 3

you got to hear a story before the eclipse. This is, this is something that's unbelievable. I got up out of that water and there was a little burn there of sandstone and those two mg machine guns, one from either side of me, had me pinned down behind that little berm and, uh I, I got out a cigarette. I had a waterproof package there. I got out a cigarette, my damn matches were wet and I sensed a soldier to my left so I just hollered hey, buddy, have you got a match? And I got no answer. And I turned no answer. And I turned around and looked.

Speaker 3

His helmet was close to his head, but there was no head in the helmet. And it was like a miracle, like his soul was talking to me and said get up and run right now. And I did, and those two MG machine guns stopped firing. They probably reloaded or barrels or something, who knows. But how did I know? How did I know when to get up and run? And then they picked me up again and but I weighed 120 pounds, I was five foot 10. And you know what I thought? This is, man, those Germans 5'10". And you know what I thought, man, those Germans aren't trained to shoot toothpicks.

Speaker 2

Yes, you're too hard of a target I got it, but I made it through.

Speaker 3

Now I lost a lot of memory. It's blocked out for some reason or another. Yeah, but the next thing I knew, corporal Rich, corporal Madison Rich and I were digging our foxholes. It was a quarter after seven at night. I don't know how we set up the command post. I don't remember. I don't know how we we set up the command post. I don't remember, I don't remember at all setting that up and, of course, this is one of the major things yeah, had to do, but it's a blank. So it's, it's a blank in my book.

Speaker 3

You can can't add anything that is not in your mind. So I found a brand new litter laying on the ground. So I dug my foxhole a little bit longer and put the litter down in there and figured man, I'm going to sleep on dry canvas instead of wet sand. And somebody hollered from the command post Sergeant Larson, colonel Hill wants to see you immediately, immediately. So I went down, reported to colonel hill and he says sergeant first army, just call me they. They want me to keep g3 open 24 hours a day.

Speaker 2

Wow, you're gonna, you're gonna run the night shift I said, starting when.

Speaker 3

You should start it right, starting right now. Yeah, yeah, I was just a, a three-stripe sergeant. I was 21 years old. And so I went back to Corporal Rich and I said, maddy, he was getting his stuff put down in his foxhole. I said you could sleep in my foxhole tonight. I gotta work. I says you can use that litter, jake. He says I got my fork sack all already here. So, uh, he threw his m1 grand rifle on my litter and he went to sleep.

Speaker 3

I went to work at midnight a german reconnaissance plane came over, dropped these little handkerchief-sized flares magnesium flares to light up the place. Our anti-aircraft started shooting up at them and I don't know how long that went on. The next thing I remember I was being relieved 7.30 came. I remember I was being relieved, 7.30 came. So I went over to Corporal Risch getting out of bed and he picked up a grinded rifle off of my litter and broke in two. A piece of shrapnel had come down and hit that rifle and broke it in two. If you think there isn't a God, you're talking to the wrong person.

Speaker 2

This is another example of how you were the luckiest man alive. That's amazing.

Speaker 3

Luckiest man in the world. I call him. What was the start of my luck? I called.

Speaker 2

That was the start of my luck when you get an opportunity, when you went back for the 75th anniversary of D-Day and you were able to revisit that site. What was that experience like being able to go back there?

Speaker 3

I went back with my son and I told him about this little berm and we had to come up on Omaha Beach there for the reporters. I came across that berm. That berm is still there. All the stuff that was occupying Omaha Beach was not there, but that berm was. How is that possible? How is that possible that I'd come in the same place that I actually landed?

Speaker 2

I, I love, I think you I've heard this on another show, um, but you said this before you are here you're, you're not a hero and I absolutely love that is, um, that you're here, for. You're here for a reason.

Speaker 3

I'm not here too. I I started that word and I'm proud of that, because it's what I live up to. I have TikTok.

Speaker 2

I'm a star on TikTok yeah, you are, you're, you're kind of go from D-Day and then getting ready to move in to liberate Paris. That's another thing. That is, I think you were the only US service member to get the French Army Retired Soldier Medal. That's amazing in itself. I that's.

Speaker 3

That's amazing in itself. That is what I'm kind of proud of Is every night I took over Omaha Beach, I was in command of Omaha Beach. No one else was in command of that.

Speaker 2

That's incredible.

Speaker 3

I ran Omaha Beach and I am the only guy still alive in all the people I was with. How is that possible? How is any of this possible? How is it that I'm sitting here talking to you 101 years old without an ache or a pain? How come these things come to my mind? I can remember the names, the times and all these things. This stuff. You don't read it in a book. I was in an Operation Tiger that slept in sands. Two ships, two landing ships, tanks got torpedoed right alongside of me.

Speaker 2

And that was in preparation, right, that was practicing for the D-Day invasion.

Speaker 3

For D-Day. Yes, yes, yes, yes.

Speaker 2

So the Battle of the Bulge, I think that was like one of your last major experiences within World War II.

Speaker 3

It was that, and I was on the start of that story.

Speaker 2

You got lucky again with that. Could you share that story of of?

The Battle of the Bulge and Lucky Escapes

Speaker 3

the battle of the bulge was started on december 16th. On december 15th, that night marlene dietrich was going to perform for the troops dog gun. I had to go to work and and that still irritates me that I didn't see her and my good buddy who was a master sergeant was in signal and he got to get her a telephone and talking to her and everything. So I got rubbed.

Speaker 2

You should tell her I was the commander at Omaha Beach.

Speaker 3

But it's at 2 o'clock in the morning, mp Corporal drove up in his Jeep and came to a sliding stop in front of G3 that I had operating on a night shift and he was so excited. When he approached me he saluted me. When he approached me, he saluted me and I'm a staff sergeant, you know so you don't salute to staff sergeants he saluted me and was talking at the same time. He said Sergeant, I'm from post number six. I was walking my post and I looked up and there were german parachutists coming down. I said what did you do next? He says I, I jumped in the jeep and came right up here. I said good thinking. So I, I went, woke up colonel hill in his sleeping, the van and while I was telling him that he was dressing and he said go like like, wake up, general Drew, and tell him what you told me. So I woke up, general Drew, who's our commander of theft corps, and people say what, what did general droll tell you? I said what do you mean? I said well, what did general, when you told general that the germans were dropping parachutes, what? What did he say to you? I, I said I think he said thank you, sergeant. Why would a general be discussing the thing with me? You know so, but uh, that's one, one of the biggest days of my life.

Speaker 3

We we had to put magnesium, we had to put magnesium timers into our files. All our stuff was top secret. We didn't want the Germans to get any of that and G3 got cut off from First Army and that was a time of the Malmedy Massacre. The tanks that went by these prisoners that had their snowing and they had their hands in the air, and this colonel from the tank corps ordered his commanders of the tanks as they went by those guys to shoot them with their machine guns. Have you ever heard that? That put a lot of fire against the Germans. It's one of the sad things that happened in the war. There's always somebody getting killed.

Speaker 2

War is a chaotic place. Bad things happen, even with the best intentions. Unfortunately, the Iraq and Afghanistan, those campaigns you can read hundreds of books of bad things that happened during those conflicts. But 99% of the people make the right decisions, especially, you know, in those times. And I'm glad that there were men like you during that time that was willing to volunteer at 15, joining the National Guard and the infantrymen. So I'm a fellow infantryman, so it's a special place in my heart for that.

Speaker 3

Infantry. When you get into the infantry you're going to die an infantry man. My typing saved me. My ability to type put me through everything. It's crazy, it really is crazy. But six battles and never got a scratch.

Speaker 2

Came close, but close only counts in horseshoe, horseshoes and hand grenades, and hand grenades, my grandfather would always, always tell me that I think the last major lucky break you got in World War II was the 45-day furlough. Was that around December, yeah?

Speaker 3

Oh, my God, yeah.

Speaker 2

Could you share that story?

Speaker 3

Oh, gladly. It was December 30th and Colonel Hill called me in. He's on duty. I'm not on duty until time to go to work at night, 7.30. So he called me in and I thought, oh, what the heck is happening. Now he says, sergeant, I got a 45-day furlough for you back to the state. I said, sir me, yeah, he says you're the senior one here. You got 127 points. A hundred was made you available. It was my service time time overseas. I spent three years over there. So I went down to France, to the ex-submarine station I lost the name of that place right now mentally, but it's in the book and I got in there about 11 o'clock at night and turned the lights on in the barracks to have number one sleeping and people were like just light it off, just light it off, and I'm dressed for winter back there. And I got into my underwear and crawled in there and I'm a fast-golder sleeper, but something was jumping all over my chest. I got up and turned the light on. I was covered with fleas. Oh wow.

Speaker 3

I got dressed again and said where's the supply room? They said it's right down there. But he won't get up for you. I said he'll get up for me. So I went down to the supply room and knocked on that screen door. They got in the tent. I know a supply sergeant does not sleep outside his own tent. He's afraid's going to come in and rip him off.

Speaker 3

So I pounded finally what the hell? You pointed out what's going on, I I? I just got in from and, uh, I'm supposed to be sleeping. My bed is full of fleas. I need some flea powder. Go back, go back, come to me in the morning. I'll get it for you. I said you go right back to sleep, sergeant, they're sergeants. I know that I'm going to find the commanding officer of this unit. Sergeant, they're sergeants. I know that I'm gonna find the commanding officer of this unit and find out why my bed is full of fleas. Oh, hey, don't do that, I'll get up, I'll get you some food. So I went back and doused my bed up and all these other guys were hollering about me having a leg on everything. Hey, can we roll, or something? Oh man, I can't understand. Somebody could go to sleep Please.

Speaker 2

Yeah, that's insane. You make it back. Do you go back to Hope Minnesota when you get back?

Speaker 3

Oh, absolutely, I helped my dad. He only had one boy there, that was Leo. By that time that, by that time I came back, they had electricity, the milking machine leo did the milking machine was the milk machine, what we used to do, all by hand, completely different. And uh, my 45 days were up. It took me 51 days to travel from Europe to get to Fort Snelling. 51 days. It was like a slow boat to China, china. But that didn't count off of that travel time, did not count off of my furl. So I had 45 days when I got back and that that was the first part of march. And, um, so, by golly, so by golly, I met this little girl and I fell in love with her.

Speaker 2

And she had your picture right and.

Speaker 3

I didn't know anything about that.

Speaker 2

Major Ridgeway.

Speaker 3

Dead. I fell in love with her and we were married in November 23rd. But when my time was up I went up to Fort Snelling and waited there, for a captain called me in and he said I just got word from the pentagon I I can send you back to your unit or I can give you a discharge. You can give me a discharge and one of the first 12 discharged before the war is over wow my mother was dying from leakage of the heart.

Speaker 3

I didn't even call home, I just rode the bus down. I got the neighbor to come in. He had a phone. They out and take me home. I never saw anyone so happy as my mother.

Speaker 2

Team. Let's take a quick break from this episode and I want to share an additional leadership resource with you, and that is one-on-one leadership coaching through McMillian Leadership Coaching. So what do I do? I help leaders discover their purpose, create a long-term growth plan and take inspired action. I believe everything rises and falls on leadership and, regardless of where you are in life, one fact is true you are a leader of others, you are a leader of your family and, most importantly, you are a leader of yourself. To lead others well, that starts by leading yourself well. If you want to learn more, you can go to McMillianLeadershipCoachingcom and schedule a free call today. Back to the episode. That's amazing. Your mother passed away from leakage of the heart and didn't they, didn't they figure out a way how to cure that, was it?

Speaker 3

Two weeks Dr Hoffnagle from. Washington DC invented this little valve that you can put in there. But it's like crying over spilt milk. You can't back up and do things over. That's one of the things I talk about what is done. You can't start damning somebody and do this. If, if, if, if, if, yeah, yeah. We had an F preach to us as kids. If the dog wouldn't have stopped to take a dump, he'd have caught the rabbit, you know.

Speaker 2

When you got back from World War II and you were transitioning back to the farm life and having to figure out how to reinvent yourself, you met the love of your life. What was? What was that process like, coming back from three years of like heavy combat?

Post-War Life and Finding Love

Speaker 3

it was like you're in heaven. You're about doing work. That's essential and I signed up for a two year course at Dunworthy Industrial in Minneapolis and I took electricity. I'm a journeyman lineman. I worked hot stuff. I also took air conditioning, small appliance repair. It wasn't anything I could fix and it's from a farm boy. I'm a farm boy, melt coals by hand and it was just part of the job. It's just part of growing up.

Speaker 2

I think that's one thing that's lost in this generation. My, my grandfather built his home by hand. My father built his home by hand, did all the electrical work, did all of it, um, by itself. But nowadays it's that that skilled labor that was so prevalent within your generation is gone. Now everything's you know virtual or digital or there's a way to do it to where you don't have to understand how to do that detailed, complex work. But I love how you were able to continuously reinvent yourself throughout your entire life, um, and just freely do it of how easy you were able to adapt into those types of situations before going any further, I won't tell you I I I thought I'd be happy running a service station and I I ran one for for texacoaco for a year.

Speaker 3

I lost over $2,000 of my own money and the state closed down the. It wasn't a freeway at that time, just a two-lane cement road, and they closed it down. To refurbish it, minnesota, you gotta do something in the summer, you can't do it in the winter. There is no work in the winter on roads. So they closed my way to the station and Texas Co told me you signed a contract with us. You agreed to 30,000 gallons of gasoline every month. We can dump that on you. I said well, you could find a place to dump this station too, because I'm going to quit you. I went to work for a municipal place in Austin, minnesota. They had their own electrical. So as quick as they found out I graduated from Dunwoody, they hired me. A dollar and nine cents. Dollar and nine cents.

Speaker 2

That is insane. I worked on the. My first job was square billing. Uh and I I got paid four dollars an hour and looking back at that now yeah, four dollars an hour I was like man, that's not enough money, that is crazy so, uh so.

Speaker 3

So my wife was was pregnant there while I had that station so I'd go home for lunch. Well, your hands are always dirty, so I'm in the washer to wash my hands. I'm in the washroom to wash my hands and she's got her wallet all stripped out and all the stuff she had in the wallet was laying up on a shelf there. And I looked down and there's that picture of me in a Jeep, and by God, that was in the newspaper. So I go to her where did you get this picture? Oh, when I was in a sophomore in high school. That came out in the Daily People's Press and I just cut it out and put it. In high school. That came out in the Daily People's Press and I just cut it out and put it in my wallet. You cut out my picture and put it in your wallet. That's kind of strange. She says that's what my girlfriend said too. She says who is that guy? She says that's the guy I'm going to marry.

Speaker 3

Wow, so happy god that is incredible and we're here situated today because we're in a house that my mother of my wife said this is, this is my dream house. I want two 30-year mortgages.

Speaker 2

That is incredible. How long were you married to your wife?

Speaker 3

Well, 45 years, and then she died.

Speaker 2

I know she ended up passing away with I think it was stomach cancer. Yes, let me ask you a question. I've been married now, you know, for for 12 years. How did you maintain such a happy marriage over such a long period of time when I see all my friends like always getting in issues with their relationships? But it was so common back then of having these long, beautiful, healthy marriages well it.

Speaker 3

It didn't. It wasn't too healthy for a while. People get used to living alone and you got to sacrifice. If you love somebody, I let her run the house, no objections to anything. All I did was furnish the money to do it and I always had part-time work because my abilities were so varied that I was a TV repairman and I look back at all the stuff I did. And when I came to California I started off as a TV repairman.

Speaker 3

My sister and her husband ran her front shop down here in Berkeley and my sister called me down in Los Angeles and said George wants you to come up and work for him in the print shop anything about printing. And she says I'll have george, give me a call. So my brother-in-law calls me jake, I'd like to have you come. Come and work for me in the print shop, george, I man, I. I'm just walking through your print shop and look like stuff was laying all over her, disorganized, and he says I, I can't get good help from the union. He says I, I could train you and I know you'll be doing the right thing. I know you'll be doing the right thing. My God, george, I'm getting $3.12.

Speaker 3

Now you got a raise here, mine, I got it made. Jake, if you come and work for me, I'll give you a 10-cent raise. Wow, 10 cents. Man, work for me, I'll give you a 10 cent raise, wow, then, yes, man, when money speaks like that. There I went to work in the print shop. I I mastered the vero typer. It's the same as a typewriter. It's the same as a typewriter, except you. You can do so much more with it. And I mastered the hand setting, stripping and then started running the letter printing presses. My brother, brother-in-law and sister went back to Minnesota to visit my dad and left me in charge in six weeks. My mind is part mechanical. If I see something work once, I can make it work again.

Speaker 2

That's amazing. And you ended up working until 1955 and you retired at the age of 73. And then how did you stay busy after you retired?

Speaker 3

I got this little girl here. She's my granddaughter. She's sitting right here listening to this here. Well, I turned 73, december 20th. One month exactly one month to the day, november 20th, this little girl, my granddaughter, turned three. I got to be in charge of my granddaughter, one of the luckiest see, I'm the luckiest man in the world. I, I got to raise her and she's changed me.

Speaker 3

She, she put me on tick tock. She, she, she graduated I, I took her to. She wouldn't even get a driver's license. I said she had to help papa jake bring her to high school. And then, the quickest she got out of high school, he got a driver's license. See, the blessing of my life. She put me on tick.

Speaker 3

She said when covid came, she like came off from no more dancing, so cruise ship stopped and she came home. And about a week later she, she said, she said, papa, I put you on my TikTok. What the hell is TikTok? Oh, you just tell stories on there. She says I put on one of yours. I said where did you get that? Well, when you told me I just had my phone on, I just put it on there. So a week later she came Papa, I'm gonna take you off my TikTok and put you on your own. What are you doing? I said you're opening a can of worms here. She says well, I'm kind of concerned. She says it took me 10 months to get 10,000 viewers. He says it took me 10 months to get 10,000 viewers.

Speaker 2

You got 10,000 viewers in a week. You've lived through some of the biggest events in world history that I can think of and your ability to recall information at this age it's just truly inspiring. It really is. I am amazed of just how sharp your recollection of those times were and and how you have such a vivid memory and can recall that information and your granddaughter too. I know I know you're listening to this, but you know. Thank you for helping set this up and sharing Papa Jake's story, because it's an absolute blessing to the world. It really is.

Speaker 3

It's a real blessing to me she's sitting right here now. When I speak Kayla's name, her name is Michaela. Speak Kayla's name, her name is Michaela. They said we're going to name the baby Michaela. I said Kayla. I said put an MC on there, it'll be more distinct. Everybody is named Kayla. Now it seems like.

From Typing Skills to TikTok Fame

Speaker 2

Everyone with an MC in the front their name. They're just way cooler. I can attest to that. What was the best experience of you, you know, start this TikTok journey, sharing your stories. What was the best experience that came from that?

Speaker 3

Oh man, I didn't tell you about. We were sent to north ireland in 1942. I went over there with the 34th infantry division and I was in the 135th infantry regiment. That's uh, the, the, the model of that regiment is to the last man and I am that last man. Can you believe that? Can you really believe that it's? It's crazy. I I don't know how this stuff just keeps happening to me. I do go out and look for these things.

Speaker 3

I got a call from one of the pilots for Airlines. I fell in love with her On the 78th anniversary of D-Day. She pushed my wheelchair around she's a pilot, she's a pilot and she piloted my wheelchair around. She's a pilot, she's a pilot and she piloted my wheelchair around and we fell in love with each other. That woman is just unbelievable. When we went down the 79th I met her. She was co-pilot then on the ship. That were 43 of us, 43 veterans, going over on the 79th and I met her and I took this hat I'm wearing right now and I put it on her head and some photographer there took a picture of me with her there. That wrote in the Atlanta Journal down there and that picture was picked for Picture of the Year. Wow, that stuff just keeps happening to me it's crazy.

Speaker 2

It couldn't happen to a better, more humble person. And, in respect to your time, I know we only touched the surface of a lot of the questions that I could have asked you, but the one big question that I'd love to end with is what advice would you offer an individual or someone that's just getting ready to start into their career, start their own leadership journey? What advice would you give them?

Speaker 3

That's kind of a difficult one. But if you're going to work for somebody or you want somebody to work for you, you've got to realize everybody isn't born with the knowledge that you think they have Be lenient. I never had any problem with anybody working for me while I was in the service. If they didn't know how to do something, I taught them how to do it, how to do it the right way, and it always worked out. I never had to pull rank. Like I say, I don't even know how to pull rank. I don't value myself any more than the next person when I say I'm the luckiest man in the world. I got that way by doing my job the way the colonel wanted it done. That's why he picked me. Yeah, of the 30 people there, he picked me and I was one of the late comers. That tells you something there when you satisfy somebody like a full. He became a general after I left. So all those plans he made there I don't know where. I'm bragging about what I can do and what I can't do.

Speaker 3

People call me a hero. I started the here to stuff. I took that O off and put a T. People say what in the world is a hereto Well that opened up the gates for me. I'm here to tell you I'm not the hero. Those guys that paved the way for me and gave their life. They're the heroes. They're the heroes and I preach that All my sermons and they are sermons for those guys. I believe there is an afterlife. So many things happen to me that are not. Everybody says says it's just coincidence. You can't have that many coincidences it's statistically impossible.

Speaker 3

I never had a childhood ailment and my younger, two year younger brother had everything. Brothers, how come I never had any of that stuff? There's something weird.

Speaker 2

I I generally believe that that everyone is is made from god with the purpose. Um, we're all designed for the purpose and we all have a direction and your purpose. You're living it. I think you're sharing your stories and you're glorifying the men that you served with during world war ii and you're just carrying their memories to the current generation that we're in right now and I and I genuinely mean this that it was the hallmark of my day and the whole year. Nothing's going to beat this for me for 2024. Getting an opportunity to talk with you.

Speaker 2

I'm serious. To get an opportunity to talk with you has been a humbling experience. The last thing I want to ask is if someone would want to reach out and find you or add value to you in any way, how could they do that?

Speaker 3

Just continue what you're doing. Tune in and listen to me on TikTok. I have everything that I need in life. I'm loved. I love when I say I'm the luckiest man in the world. When you got a family like I got, how could you not love them? They're taking care of this old man and people say, my goodness, you're 101 now, and what is the purpose of life? Are you enjoying this? You're living into an age Everybody wants to reach that age. I says, look, the thing with reaching my age is I don't have any friends left that I was born and raised with Just nobody. Every person I was in the service with my buddies who would put up their life for me are gone. They're all gone. Everybody is trying to reach up here. It's been a job for me to get here.

Speaker 3

I had a stroke. I couldn't move and I woke up in the morning and my oldest son lives above me and my younger son lives alongside of me and and my alarm went off in the morning. I couldn't get up and shut it off. My mind was as clear as right now and I thought what, what's going to happen? I couldn't reach over to for the phone, I couldn't move and my oldest son came down, came down, the radio was going on. I, when I got up, when I get up, I shut it off. He says, dad, you got a problem. Yeah, kurt, I can't move. And my bladder tells me you, you better get me to the bathroom. Me to the bathroom. And he says, okay, I'll get Carl. And so on. They came and started to get me the reason for me to pass out. But I recovered from that A little atrophy in my left hand and I dragged my left foot a little bit, but I think it increased my mental ability. I got a hell of a memory.

Speaker 3

And then, about a year after that, I had been to Minnesota for seven weeks and even made a trip up to Wisconsin Eau Claire, wisconsin for the last reunion of the Fifth Corps. And by golly, I got home from that after seven weeks there and I was going through the mail at 8 o'clock at night and Kirk came down from upstairs and looked in my refrigerator. I didn't do nothing in there because I told him to use everything I was getting new and he started to go upstairs. I said, kirk, wait a minute, you got a problem. I said, yeah, I'm getting dizzy. And he said I'll be right down. So he went upstairs and got his keys, took them out of the Kaiser in Walnut Creek.

Speaker 3

By the time I got there I was feeling pretty good again and I said to the doctor I think I could go home. He said no, go home. No, no. He says you're not going home, I'm, I'm going to get to the bottom of this here. He says there's something wrong. So so I made the bed and wired me the next morning. The next morning I woke up in Concord Hospital with six stents in me and the doctor came and says how are you feeling? I said I feel like a new man. He says well, kaiser wants us to ship you over to San Francisco. You've got to have five or more stents. I got 11 stents in me. How many people, 101 years old, have got 11 stents in them?

Speaker 2

I know the VA probably wouldn't have done that.

Speaker 3

The VA probably wouldn't have done that. They lost all my papers in Kentucky. They all burned up. The L's and the M's burned up so I never got to use my VA stuff. I had to buy my own. And thank God I had to buy my own. Thank God I had to because the VA would never have given me 11 cents.

Speaker 2

I 100% agree with that. As bad as that is to joke about, I fully agree with it. Out of respect for your time, I just want to say thank you again for being a guest on this.

Speaker 3

You made this a pleasure. Last time I talked to a terror killer. His name was Jocko Jocko Woods. He flew me down to yeah.

Speaker 2

I think that's where jaco's out of san diego yeah, yeah yeah he flew there to san diego.

Speaker 3

He was amazed, he, he, he went through the book, little sentence, a book, and what a man he is. Yeah, he's Entire Navy SEAL.

Speaker 2

I have the honor and privilege now you know my current job, working in SOCOM or Special Operations Commands, and getting to see a lot of you know SEALs and other operators, and they're all incredible, incredible individuals.

Speaker 3

They are incredible, far beyond anything compared to me. I'm just that little infantry boy.

Speaker 2

Well, I think I took all your gains. When I joined the infantry I was like 240 pounds and then, slowly over time, the infantry I was like 240 pounds, then, slowly over time, the infantry has whittled me down.

Speaker 3

I was just twice my size. My God, I can't believe it.

Speaker 2

Yeah, I was double your size, 6'2", 240 pounds when I commissioned as a second lieutenant in the army. Yeah, now I weigh 180 after three knee surgeries and a couple back injuries. Uh, I had to whittle, whittle all my muscle away.

Speaker 3

You got to read my book and read about Carlos Boki, my buddy in high school, who joined the National Guard. Because I was in it and we were down to Camp Claiborne and I had to be company clerk and so we'd meet on Sundays and he says, jake, let's join the Air Corps. And he says, jake, become a officer when you graduate there. I says what the benefit of that? Well, some money. The money speaks. So we went down and signed up for Air Corps. We got to pass a physical for that. I passed everything except my eyes.

Speaker 2

You're colorblind.

Speaker 3

Born colorblind. So Carlos went to Florida, I went back to work and then I went to. When the Japanese hit Pearl Harbor, I went overseas to North Ireland. That was two years ago, isn't it? Two years ago they co-funded me. They paid our way over there, because I mentioned our station, brownlow House.

Speaker 3

Brownlow House I can't think of the name brown low house, rock rock, bronco house. That's a house with 365 rooms. That's a castle and I was g3, was in there. If we had our own room and and when they found that out there's no one else alive they co-funded and had me come over there. They invited us back out to Brownlow House. They're going to have a special day for me. Show me what's happening in Brownlow House. So we drives there and we come up there. There's an American flag that's flying up on top. There's American soldiers marching on the field. There's a couple of jeeps running around there.

Speaker 3

I said, my God, we're interrupting something big here. What in the world did that ever tell us to come here at this time when they got operations like that? The next thing I knew I was being escorted over to a Jeep and given a Jeep ride. They were actors. They were actors acting for me and they had a big round table there where all the important people sat and I sat at the head of the table. They had the embassies from five countries France, germany, luxembourg, belgium, the United States and they were trying to get up and read all these accolades and I thought it was a farce. I thought this was made up. Nobody could be that important. I said read all these accolades too. And then the United States ambassador got up and he started off with the accolades. And then his last sentence was this day, march 18th, will forever be called Jake Larson Day. I got a day name for me. How many people you know get a day name for them? A country boy. What a day name for him.

Speaker 2

With an incredible life, an absolutely incredible story.

Life Lessons at 101 Years Old

Speaker 3

It's weird. It's weird, just weird. And while we're over there, we was reading my book. When we came, she was reading my book. Over in Ireland One of the boys got a hold of that book after we left and he wrote a song about my book. That book you can get on YouTube. That song, you can get it on YouTube. It's crazy, the stuff that happens to me. I don't mean for this to happen.

Speaker 2

It just happens. Well, you deserve it. Everything that you've done in service to this nation and continue to do. You continue to bring light to all the service members that you served with and honor their memory and everything that you have done in the past is genuinely amazing, and everything that comes your way again. I believe everyone's created for a purpose from God and I believe you're filling that purpose out right now, sharing the stories, continuing to share those stories, and it's been a humbling experience just being able to hear those Well, I'm not looking for glory.

Speaker 3

I've got the best life in the world. I'm a very positive person. There's no negativity whatsoever. Everything is positive.

Speaker 2

If there's anything that I can ever do, and to Michaela too as well if there's anything I can ever do for you guys, do not hesitate to reach out and ask for me, because I would gladly do it.

Speaker 3

That is the most wonderful gift anyone can give your own service.

Speaker 2

Well, sir, I appreciate your time. Michaela, again, thank you for setting this up and I mean that if you ever need anything, I'm always here. Us mix have to stick together right, Absolutely.

Speaker 3

Well, it's been a pleasure talking to you. Your Army and we understand each other.

Speaker 2

Yeah, we speak the language.

Speaker 3

Nowadays I joke that I can talk acronyms to someone in the national guard, from a little old hayseed hayseed kid and and it's, it's crazy, that's the only word anybody of us can think about. Not only is it crazy, but it's getting crazier. You would not believe what NBC is doing right now. They're getting ready for the Summer Olympics in France. They found out that I befriend some of these little kids over there, a couple of girls and their brother, and they saw, when I went over there, these kids tackling me, all around my wheelchair, hugging me and kissing me. And they learned one thing in English I love you, papa Jake. I got happy tears talking about it.

Speaker 3

Nbc picked up on that. Nbc picked up on that. They had me covered with wires Our last trip, the 79th to D-Day, and they came over and photographed me every which way you can think of, and they photographed our children. And they came back September 12th here right to my home, and photographed all day, part of the day here and then part over to Michaela's sister's home. And all that stuff is being put together to fit in between events that are happening on their big day. So you'll be seeing me and those kids.

Speaker 2

That's amazing and I hope my kids are listening to this right now. I have a six and a ten-year-old and they were really excited to hear your stories. That's amazing.

Speaker 3

You tell those kids, if they send me a letter, I will send them one of my cards, autographed card. Get the card and we'll you have one right there. I'll show them oh wow.

Speaker 2

Oh wait, a little bit higher, there we go. Yeah, happy hundred first birthday, papa jack. Happy 101st birthday, papa Jack. Consider it done. My daughter will write you the best, most memorable letter, and then my son will give you a squiggle mark. So it's going to be great.

Speaker 3

I love children. They're the future of the world 100%.

Speaker 2

Yeah, everything I do now is really through the, the lens of of my children. Um, almost all my actions now are through. Are they going to be productive members of society and am I giving them the tools and to be successful in life? Yeah, that's amazing.

Speaker 3

I got happy tears. I really do. Thank you, thank you, thank you. It's an honor for this old man to be sitting here. I don't look for praise, I don't need praise, I'm so blessed. It's just crazy, crazy, crazy. And it just keeps on going. We spent last summer in Minnesota at the Steele County Free Fair. The fair was put on in my honor. Every day of that fair I stood there, sat there signing books or autographs, and they had the limits to people took four minutes with me. It's crazy. Minutes with me, it's crazy. I thought I would never stand in line to talk to me. I can't stand to even look at myself. I don't stand to hear myself talk. I can't stand to hear myself talk.

Speaker 2

Steve Browning, phd. Well, your stories carry so much weight and they obviously resonate with people with the large following that you've built. People, people want to hear your stories, want to hear those inspiring stories and you, you need to continue to do it, because the world needs light. Especially now I, I feel like the world needs light for all my buddies who are gone.

Speaker 3

I want them to be remembered, because I I wasn't out over there by myself. Guys that were with me, they made the way for me. You don't think of that till you get home. Don't think of that till you get home. There's a lot of old guys over there. When they got home, it was always about them, what they did, what they. I'm a different person. It's what the other people did for me. That's kept me going and I yeah this has been an amazing opportunity.

Speaker 2

I'm going to say it one more time, but I genuinely mean it. Thank you. Thank you for the hour and 49 minutes that we've been able to share. Thank you for sharing your stories. It's been amazing.

Speaker 3

I can't believe it's been that long.

Speaker 2

I usually only do an hour, but I wanted you to talk about whatever you wanted, because the wisdom that you have to share in my eyes is timeless, and I wanted to make sure that I could capture as much of that wisdom as possible.

Speaker 3

I want to tell you the University of Delaware has got a history professor there. He called me, he made arrangements to come back here to my home. He interviewed me for four hours Four hours Of course. He's using that interview to train his future history professors at Delaware University and that interview is now in Eisenhower Library in Kansas. Two entries in the Library of Congress, two Veterans Days in a row I've been back in Washington being interviewed for go to Library of Congress. I don't do this to get into a library. It just happens. It just happens to me. I don't understand it.

Speaker 2

If you ever find yourself back in Washington DC anyone in your family you always have a place to stay. That's where I'm stationed right now.

Speaker 3

So Wow, wow.

Speaker 2

You'll have to reach out next time you visit.

Speaker 3

Yes, we'll have to reach out to you.

Speaker 2

Have you got an opportunity to go back to the, the brand new army museum that they just built, and it's a phenomenal.

Speaker 3

It is a phenomenal museum, it's a world-class museum no I think you would, you would love that well, I I was pretty, I was satisfied with the intersection, and all for doing the Vietnam Museum before they even did World War II. Yeah. So many of my friends died without getting recognized. That has stirred me up so much. That's what keeps me going. I want people on the right track yeah, yeah, you would.

Speaker 2

You would love that um museum. They have a section dedicated to world war ii and it's it. It's phenomenal, um. It's better than the infantry museum at fort benning uh, it's now fort moore and that was one of the best museums that I've ever seen, at least from the Army standpoint.

Speaker 3

Well, I've been to one down in New Orleans.

Speaker 2

Yeah, the World War II Museum in New Orleans.

Speaker 3

Is this one their church? Not that one no.

Speaker 2

But you have one that says it on there.

Speaker 3

My problem is when I go into an Army museum. I became surrounded. People can't get enough of me.

Speaker 2

I will be your bodyguard and I'll get some other scary individuals that I know. But that being said, sir, I don't want to take any more time than you have to give.

Speaker 3

If I had to charge for my time.

Speaker 2

I wouldn't afford it. I give you a sense.

Speaker 3

My time is worthless. It's getting the message out. That's what we do. Try to get the message out.

Speaker 2

Well, you captured that message beautifully, and I think the payment for this is I want to make sure that my kids send you the best card possible.

Speaker 3

God golly, I will look forward to that. Yes, it truly has been wonderful talking to you you're right up there, what your job?

Speaker 2

well, that's humbling because, uh, I look up to him and, um, yeah, that that's humbling, because, uh, I look up to him and, um, yeah, that's that's humbling, I, I this has been one of my favorite podcasts. I've done 96 now. I've never done one over an hour. Uh, this one's going on to be almost two hours and I was just, I still am just lost in your story and just humbled by your service. It's absolutely incredible. And what you continue to do to share the memories of those who have fought and bringing them along your journey and touching so many lives today, it's incredible. I always call people a servant leader, a purposeful, accountable leader or a pal, and you are the embodiment of that, of a purposeful and accountable leader, and thank you for everything that you do, you continue to do. You bring light into this world and it's amazing.

Speaker 3

All these birthday cards I got here. My belly was going to get through them, but every one of them we answered every one of them, because everybody that writes in is important to me. We need people to keep interested in giving thanks to those people above who never got thanked. The museums came in long after, but a lot of these people were dead.

Speaker 2

Yeah, that's incredible, being an Afghanistan and Iraq war veteran. There was museums and combat operations that I've been in that I can go visit right now. But I could not imagine being in such a major conflict that shaped the world as we know it right now and not having a museum to kind of go back to. And one of my, my first deployment to Afghanistan. We lost several soldiers during that one and we didn't have a memorial. It took them five years to do. But to us like that was almost unacceptable, like it took you five years to build that Memorial. It should have been done, you know, within a year. I could only imagine, um what you know the veterans of World War II felt when it took them that long to build well, so many people and we didn't have the VA to back up on.

Speaker 3

I didn't have it at all because my records were all burned up and it was pathetic. I had to buy my own insurance. It's probably why I'm alive, though, today.

Speaker 2

The VA.

Speaker 3

But they did get me hearing aids. Man, yeah, I didn't have to pay for these babies.

Speaker 2

That's awesome, I love it.

Speaker 3

I love it. So I think Kayla here is shutting down.

Speaker 2

Ready for dinner time.

Speaker 3

Yes.

Speaker 2

Yeah, and I got to get ready to go play dad and put my son to bed, and again, it's been an absolute honor. Thank you, Michaela, for setting this up, and then Papa Jake, thank you for just being you.

Speaker 3

Anytime.

Speaker 2

All right take care. Bye have a good one.

Speaker 3

Thank you. All right, take care. Bye, have a good one.

Speaker 2

Thank you All right team. What a phenomenal episode with Jake Larson. I mean, how could you not leave this episode with a sense of wonder? Everything that he has done is just absolutely an incredible story, and I never thought in my lifetime that I wasn't going to have an opportunity to speak with a World War Two veteran. Really, this was something that's you know on my bucket list and I have an opportunity to do so, and his ability just to recall information's astounding. I I am truly amazed and how long and the stamina that he has that that we could go.

Speaker 2

It's funny as his granddaughter, michaela, I think, had to kick us off because I had such a curious mind. I I was lost in his story of just the wisdom that he had to share. So so it's time for our after action review. So what are the top three takeaways that I took from this episode? And that's a hard ask because there was a lot, and I also, full transparency, did a horrible job taking notes because I was just so lost in his story, but I distilled it down to, I think, three lessons that I learned from Papa Jake. Number one is sacrifice how he sacrificed his entire life, starting off growing up on a farm in Minnesota. Every single person in his family had a chore Minnesota. Every single person in his family had a chore. They had a job, they had a task, they had a purpose and they had to work together as a team to accomplish that, because he was growing up during the Great Depression. That's a level of sacrifice and hard that I do not fully understand or comprehend because I grew up in a different time, but I know that my grandparents that are no longer here with me grew up during that time. That forged them into such a resilient and reliant group of people that could overcome anything, they could build anything, they could do anything. And it's like my grandfather built his home, did all the electrical work, do anything. And it's like my grandfather built his home, did all the electrical work just a different level of sacrifice that he went through his entire life and everything that he gets now is just well deserved, because he deserves every single bit of praise that we can give him and him. Continuing to share the memory of those and honoring those who served before him and served with him and serve after him is just absolutely incredible.

Speaker 2

The second key takeaway that I got is being lenient and teaching people what right looks like, and that's easily done, often overlooked, especially nowadays. We do not view people as people. We view people as systems and objects. And here's a great example I live in Washington DC and when I'm driving with my family, we always have to go on dreaded 95. And if you're from this area, I think you understand what I mean. But people are quick to blow horns at you when you're trying to merge into traffic, even if you're using the signal light and all the proper driving technique, but they don't make eye contact with you. Why is that? Because they don't view you as a person. They view as an obstacle, they view as a car, they view you as a thing in their way to their end state. The same is true, I think, with leadership nowadays is that we don't view people as people. We view them as a part of a system. But you cannot hold someone accountable unless you have taught them what right looks like and how to do that, and you've given them the opportunity, the authority and the tools to do so. And you also just need to be lenient, give them grace, and if you can do that, I genuinely believe that you are going to build a organization that can weather any storm.

Speaker 2

And the final key takeaway that I got from this episode was a thread that I saw in his entire life of how he continued to have these amazing opportunities gifted to him. Well, I believe it's because he always did the best possible job in whatever job he found himself in. And that's so true in life is that you never know where you're going to end up. Most of the jobs that I had when I was in the army I'm still in the army. I don't plan to get out anytime soon. I didn't have a say in. The army told me where to go. The army told me to go to Fort Polk, louisiana, and be an OCT. Trust me, I tried to get out of it. That was the best job because I put myself into that position, I embraced it, I accepted it and I did the best possible job that I could.

Speaker 2

And he did that in every single position that he had. I got that. He poured himself into that position. He did the best possible job that he could, and I think that that's a lesson that position, he did the best possible job that he could, and I think that that's a lesson that we just need to take. Hey, you don't need a perfect job, right, and I saw this LinkedIn post that this lady's goal for 2024 is to have a fully remote job paying $150,000 a year. Great, that's awesome that you can do that and you should pour yourself into that job.

Speaker 2

But you may not get that. You may not get the dream job that you want. You're going to have a job and it goes back to the level of sacrifice. There's always a level of trade-off and sacrifice that we have to make, but whatever job you do have that you're gifted an opportunity. Do your best, do your absolute best and give it a hundred percent. It goes back to the rule of a hundred percent that I always talk about. You can only give your best effort, and if you can honestly leave and answer the question, did I give my 100%? And if you can say yes to that, that's awesome Because that's all you can do. All right, team.

Speaker 2

This has been a phenomenal episode. It's been a longer podcast than I normally do. It's been a different type of format than I typically do, but it's been worth it, because everything that Papa Jake shared has been phenomenal and this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I wanted to give him the platform to talk as much as he wanted to and share his message with the world. But do me a favor If you'd like the content that I continuously produce for you guys, share this podcast, share it with your family, share it with your friends, share it with the world and make sure you review this podcast.

Speaker 2

Whatever platform you're listening to, give me a five-star review. Follow me on social media. Go to mcmillianleadershipcoachingcom. See the additional leadership resources that I have to offer to include all the additional podcast episodes and articles or blogs that I've written with different leadership tools that can help you be a better leader and bring light into this world. And, as always, make sure you are giving every single day your 100%. I'm your host, josh McMillian, saying every day is a gift. Don't waste yours. I'll see you next time.

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Joshua K. McMillion

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