#100 Jake Larson "Papa Jake" - WWII Veteran - Tales of Leadership

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
You're listening to the Tales of Leadership podcast.
This podcast is for leaders atany phase on their leadership
journey to become a morepurposeful and accountable
leader what I like to call a pal.
Join me on our journey togethertowards transformational
leadership.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
All right team, welcome back to the Tales of
Leadership podcast.
I am your host, josh McMillian.
I'm an active duty army officerand an army leadership coach
and the founder of McMillianLeadership Coaching, and I am on
a mission to create a betterleader what I like to call a
purposeful, accountable leader.
My vision is to positivelyaffect 1 million lives by 2032

(00:41):
by sharing transformationalleadership stories and skills,
and on today's episode, I'mprobably going to be sharing the
most impactful leadership storythat I have found yet, and that
is Jake Larson, affectionatelyknown as Papa Jake.
He truly is an amazingindividual.
He just celebrated his 101stbirthday and he is a veteran of

(01:01):
World War II.
Mr Larson grew up on a farm withno electricity or running water
in Hope, minnesota.
During the Great Depression, hehelped plan D-Day, escaped
death on Omaha Beach and at onestage, was under the command of
Senior British Army OfficerField Marshall Montgomery.
Recently, he has found fame onTikTok.

(01:22):
Michaela Larson, papa Jake'sgranddaughter, created a TikTok
account for her.
Papa Jake, after a video postedabout his service in May of
2020, went absolutely viral fromthe Second World War, including
near-death experiences and hispride at moving ranks from an

(01:53):
infantry soldier to joining G3Fifth Corps and helping to plan
D-Day's landing, which isabsolutely incredible.
At the bottom line, jake is apurposeful, accountable leader
and a couple admin notes.
I typically always end with thekiller bees.
I didn't do that with Jake.
This episode is about doublethe link that they normally are

(02:14):
and there's a lot of freefloating towards the end of this
, of where we're not reallyfollowing necessarily a
structure.
But every single minute thatyou can hear papa jake talk is
an absolute treasure, becausethe amount of wisdom that he
shares is just phenomenal and itwas an honor and a privilege to
have him on the show.

Speaker 3 (02:35):
So, without further ado, we're just going to jump
right into it with papa jakeit's all paid off in the end
because I was in before the war,before I was down in Louisiana
for the Louisiana maneuversnearly a year when the Japanese
hit Pearl Harbor and I was acompany clerk and I just got

(02:58):
busted.
I just got busted from acorporal down to a private.
When Pearl Harbor came and itchanged my life.
I was sent overseas to NorthIreland to help the British and
I got transferred intoheadquarters G3, 5th Corps.

(03:21):
I got in on the plans of theinvasion coming from an infantry
.
My life is unbelievable.
If you haven't read my book, Iwould recommend you read that.
I've got 11 teachers that teachyou, teaching their history.

(03:42):
They're using the book as thehistory book.

Speaker 2 (03:46):
That's incredible.
So the book is.
Let me make sure I get that.

Speaker 3 (03:53):
The Luckiest man in the World, the.

Speaker 2 (03:55):
Luckiest man in the World and Amazon is the
publisher, correct?
Yes, so I am going to read thatand I had an opportunity to
kind of at least skim through it.
I don't have the book yet, butthat is something that I plan to
read and that walks throughreally your whole story,
starting in a homestead in SouthDakota, and then you, growing

(04:18):
up on a family farm, did youhave seven brothers and then you
had a sister.

Speaker 3 (04:24):
No, there were six boys and two girls.

Speaker 2 (04:27):
Okay, so seven total siblings.

Speaker 3 (04:30):
Yeah, well, I had seven siblings, but there was
eight of us in the family.
I was number seven.

Speaker 2 (04:39):
The lucky number seven.
Yes, I love that Number seven.
Yes, I love that.
You kind of growing up on ahomestead.
I would love to just startthere because I'm just so
curious of.
Life is different now.
I think, like within familiesand the dynamics of families
back then, everyone had choresthat they had to do and you had

(05:00):
to do those chores before youcould do other things that you
wanted to do, those choresbefore you could do other things
that you wanted.
What were some of thechallenges that you had to face
as a family together and how didyou guys work through that on
the farm?

Speaker 3 (05:12):
Well, I grew up in the Depression.
In 1923.
I started growing up.
I was born in 22 and peopletook me for a year older because
there was only 11 days left in1922.
Yeah, it was 1923.

(05:33):
So I, I started grade school,first grade, when I was four
years old.
And four years old and peoplesaid, well, how could you do
that?
Well, the school board saidthat if I turned five before the
first of the year of the nextyear, I could start grade school

(05:57):
early.
So I graduated eighth grade 12years old and started high
school at 12 years old.
It seems weird, huh?

Speaker 2 (06:07):
So you started high school at 12, but I know that
didn't your brother help you getthe opportunity to go to high
school?

Speaker 3 (06:16):
My brother, earl, who was 14 years older than me when
I came home from passing theeighth grade in a country school
no electricity, no runningwater and the teacher wrote a
little note and put it in mypocket On the way home.
I had to read that note and itsaid Mr and Mrs Larson, I

(06:42):
recommend you give Jake a chanceto go to high school.
He's a fast learner.
So I put it back in my pocketand gave it to my mother.
Of course she shared it with mydad and my dad said there'll be
no high school.
I got him to do his chores.
I got him to do his chorestakes the place of high school.

(07:05):
So all summer long I did workaround the farm, had chores to
do, and the chores were takingcare of the cattle and milking
cows.
Every morning, every night andwhen school was on we'd come in

(07:29):
from the barn, clean up, eatbreakfast and then go to school.
There was no electricity, norunning water, radio was just

(07:50):
being heard of.
The government was sellinglicenses to build your own
station and after they got thelicense they didn't know what to
do.
After they got the stationbuilt, they didn't know what to
put on there.
So a lot of them would readpoems.
It was crazy.
Then Sears and Roebuck starteda station in Chicago and they

(08:17):
put on the Saturday night barndance.
Gene Autry got his start there.
He played there every Saturdaynight for $5 a night.
Wow, it's crazy.

Speaker 2 (08:35):
Now that would probably be at least I don't
know $50,000 a night, somethinglike that around there.

Speaker 3 (08:44):
You'll figure out that.

Speaker 2 (08:45):
But yeah, transitioning.
You started your high schoolwhen you were 12 years old.
You graduated probably aroundthe time that you were 15, and
then you had the idea that youwanted to go join the national
guard.
Can you, can you?

Speaker 3 (09:03):
no, I joined the national guard while I was in
high school.

Speaker 2 (09:06):
Oh, you joined it while you were in high school.

Speaker 3 (09:09):
Yes, we had the National Guard right there in
Ota, minnesota.
They were advertising that theywanted to fill their unit.
This is when Hitler took theSudetenland from Czechoslovakia.

Speaker 2 (09:26):
In 1938.
In 1938.

Speaker 3 (09:31):
And he annexed Austria.
So my cousin Chick and I wewould meet on Sundays.
On Sundays, and we're walkingaround Owatonna, I had to work
for my room and boards.
I had to help a lady that ran aboarding house, mrs Myers, for

(10:11):
eight room and boarders and itwas my job for my room and board
to help her do the dishes andclean up the mess after serving
the people.
And you know it was crazy, wehad no money, no money at all.
So Chick and I were walkingaround by the Roxy Theater and
Gene Autry was featured.
I said Sunday, it was aSaturday, because Saturday

(10:34):
matinee they featured Gene Autry, america's Favorite Cowboy, and
Ten Cents matinee we didn'thave a penny between us.
He says let's join the NationalGuard.
They're advertising, they wantto fill the unit.

(10:57):
I says, chick, we're 15 yearsold, you have to be 18.
Years old, you have to be 18.
He says, right across the parkfrom the theater there was the
armory where the National Guardmet.
He says let's go over there andtell them we want to join the

(11:20):
National Guard and when they askyou how old you are, look them
right in the eye and say 18, sir.

Speaker 2 (11:28):
Now, who did they ask first?
Did they ask you, how old youwere, or did they ask Chick?

Speaker 3 (11:33):
They asked me.
When I came in there, there wasa big captain sitting at his
desk and he looked up and hesays what can I do for you,
young men?
Wow, that gives youencouragement.
Young men were 15.

(11:55):
So so I said, sir, we'd like togo join the national guard.
And I'm looking at him, I'mthinking 18, 18, 18, and he
looks up at me and he says whatyear were you born?
Wait, a minute, that wasn'twait.

(12:15):
This is supposed to work out.
But I I was pretty sharp on mymath so I thought, man, if I
have to back up three years or alad three years, I have to back
up my birthday.
So I took three away from from22 and it says 1919, sir he's.

(12:39):
He just says sign right herethey didn't even check anything.
That's crazy no checking at all.
So chick and I got in right atthe and every every monday night
for two hours we'd drill andthen we'd go to high school.

(13:00):
See the next day and prettysoon others were joining the
National Guard.
When we got in, that unitfilled up that's the unit I went
down to camp.
We were put in the FederalService February 10th 1941,
before Pearl Harbor.

(13:20):
So I got down there and I had apenicillus and before they got
me into the hospital it burstand I had some sick leave at
home.
When I came back I found out Iwas transferred to headquarters

(13:42):
company as a company clerkbecause I had a year of typing
while I was in high school andthat, that typing class that you
took, what wasn't thatpredominantly for the, the
female students, but you had anopportunity to do it I was the
one boy in a class of wow but,but I could type 50 words a

(14:06):
minute.
By the time I had one year in.
And those girls you're betterthan me right now those girls
that took typing for a livingand they went two years at
typing.
They took just a second year.
So now I'm at an impasse here.

(14:29):
If you want to hear the rest ofthis story, it's going to take
a time.

Speaker 2 (14:36):
Well, I would love to hear it all.
18.
I know you go to Louisiana.
I was stationed in Louisianafor four years at Fort Polk.
I can't remember what the nameof the new base is, where they
renamed it.
What were your thoughts onLouisiana?

Speaker 3 (14:55):
Well, we weren't welcome In 1941, the war was
going on in Europe and theUnited States was strictly
against war.
So as soldiers you'd likely bespit upon.

(15:15):
And I remember going intoAlexandria.
We were at Camp Claiborne, 18miles out of alexandra,
louisiana, and we went in thereon a sunday and we were going to
the swimming pool.

(15:36):
We went to the swimming pooland it says dogs and soldiers
not allowed.
Oh wow, that's how we weretreated and that's a slap in the
face to a youngster like I wasat that time.

Speaker 2 (16:07):
Yeah, especially someone so young who's been
willing to make a sacrifice andvolunteer for their country.
And right after that, shortly,you know, Pearl Harbor happens,
December 7th 1941.

Speaker 3 (16:11):
Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 (16:12):
What was that experience like?
And you lived through 9-11 too.
Was that similar to a 9-11moment, or was that just
something totally different?

Speaker 3 (16:22):
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, thecountry found out about the same

(16:46):
time we did and that stirred upthe people who voted against
war to volunteer.
They actually volunteered theirservices.

Speaker 2 (16:59):
That's a major shift.
I think within the US at thattime that was a major shift.
It was like they cut the thattime like that.

Speaker 3 (17:05):
That was a major shift.
It was like they cut the headoff the rooster, you know, and
they wanted to settle that thatscore right away where did your
World War II Journey start?

Speaker 2 (17:18):
was it in G3 was?
Was that your first assignmentof ending that campaign?

Speaker 3 (17:24):
Well, it started right there in headquarters
company.
I was a company clerk forheadquarters company.
You've got to read the book.
There's a lot of particulars inhere.
And when I got transferred inthere I was transferred in as a
corporal company clerk.
I was transferred in as acorporal.

(18:13):
Come take clerk and Captain RayJ Erickson was my senior
officer there and he asked for atable 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 CaptainErickson and he says before you
got here, I gave that sergeantrating to one of my friends and

(18:35):
I can't just take it away fromhim and give it back.

Speaker 2 (18:44):
But I'll get you a helper.

Speaker 3 (18:46):
So he got me a helper that couldn't type and he was a
corporal.

Speaker 2 (18:55):
As a supply clerk.

Speaker 3 (19:01):
Wow.
Now Colonel Smith came out andtold the company clerks this is
right after Pearl Harborhappened.
He knew we were going to go towar.
So he came out and said go backand tell your commanding
officer that I am authorizing15-day furloughs back to

(19:24):
Minnesota for all those whohaven't had a furlough in the
past year.
So I went to Captain Ericksonand told him that Instead of
saying, corporal, you take careof that and make out the papers
and everything and I'll signthem, he said, corporal, you go

(19:46):
up the check those records andfor everybody who hasn't had a
furlough in the past year, yougive them a furlough for seven
days.
Seven days, sir.
We're in, we're in Louisiana.
This is the middle of winter inMinnesota.
It's going to take them sevendays.

(20:09):
They'll have to turn rightaround and come back.
They'll probably make it Turnaround 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

(20:36):
jake larson who hadn't had itfor low in the past year.
Year, a funny thing happened.
My typewriter made a mistakeand it printed 15 on nine 15
days of a furlough instead of aseven, like it's all on the list
and Captain Erickson signed it.

Speaker 2 (21:00):
Oh wow, Now was that a lucky mistake, or was that?

Speaker 3 (21:06):
Of course it was a lucky.
It was an intentional luckymistake Because I rode up home
with two of my cousins, chickCanole, and the company I came
from had 15 day furloughs, so Iran in.

Speaker 2 (21:29):
I love how you were able to take care of your family
, like your soldiers and family.
That's why that's why I alwayssee 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 (21:49):
He just signed it when you, when you handed it to
him and and when he ripped offmy corporal stripes.
When I came back, he says I Ishould court-martial you.
I says what reason could youhave for court-martialed me, sir
?
I was going to start in hisface that he signed it.
And he says in his face that hesigned it.
And he says, well, he knew hedid wrong.
But by that time he says you'regoing to be go to a wire

(22:20):
section.
You'll be climbing poles andstringing wire from now on.
Ship to new jersey, fort dixand the three, three cousins,
went to new york and while wewere going by the port there,
french luxury liner normally wasburning at the docks down there

(22:41):
.
And what we saw in new york Iwas 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

(23:04):
my shoulder.
I'm going to lay a spree on afarm and I never had that happen
to me.
I had to go to New York to havethat happen to me.

Speaker 2 (23:18):
I grew up in rural West Virginia and the first time
that that ever happened to mewas in Boston, Massachusetts,
when I went there for work forthe Army.

Speaker 3 (23:26):
You know what I mean.
The pigeons are wild.
They're not afraid of anybody.
Our pigeons were afraid of us.

Speaker 2 (23:39):
When you transitioned to G3 in operations, did you do
that because you had thosetyping skills that you learned
in high school?

Speaker 3 (23:49):
Typing is what made it.
I could beat anybody typing andI was dedicated.
When I was given a job, I neverquestioned why I was paid.
I did it as fast as I could and, being a good typist, I didn't

(24:16):
make mistakes and, my God, I wasin G3 one month before I was a
corporal again.
Wow.
And I was moved over to ColonelHill.
John G Hill, full bird colonel.

(24:40):
I was moved over right in frontof his door.
I was in command of the tablesof organization An enormous job.
And the Pentagon was renewingall the stuff for every unit at

(25:05):
that time, so everything had itwas all World War I stuff, oh
wow.
So my golly, I wasn't overthere for a month and I was a
sergeant.

Speaker 2 (25:18):
That's amazing.
When did you get that?
So it's a differentclassification now, like I have
a TSSCI.
Get that, um, so it's adifferent classification now,
like I have a tssci.
You had a top secret bigot,right it was the classification
when?

Speaker 3 (25:33):
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 upand I I was in the horror, was

(25:58):
even in one of those thingsthere while I was there.
But but you were classified andyou had to wear a badge with
your picture on there and thoseguards, as many times you go

(26:20):
through, they would check eachtime to make sure somebody
didn't impersonate somebody.
You know.

Speaker 2 (26:27):
Oh yeah, especially during that time like the world
was at war.
When did you start to helpplanning directly?
D-day?

Speaker 3 (26:37):
When we typed it up I did.
All the typing on every personthat landed on Omaha Beach came
through my fingers.

Speaker 2 (26:48):
That is insane.

Speaker 3 (26:49):
How long?

Speaker 2 (26:52):
Go ahead.
I just want to shape this foranyone that's ever going to get
to listen to this.
I think there's over 7,000ships and that took 195,000 Navy
personnel just alone to operatethose ships.
There were 133 allied troops.
I think there was over 10,300casualties at the landing and

(27:15):
then from start to invasion tothe end of the month in June,
there were over 850 men.
That landed 148,000 vehiclesand then 570,000 tons of
supplies.
This is a major operation andit humbles me, being an Iraq and
an Afghanistan veteran, justthe sheer magnitude of that

(27:39):
single operation, and it changedthe European front.

Speaker 3 (27:44):
This is the largest operation the world has ever
known.
This is the top of the list.

Speaker 2 (27:51):
I know you also.
This was your first.
This was your first combatmission, the first one that you
went on.

Speaker 3 (27:57):
Oh, definitely, oh definitely.
Yeah, I I rolled in on thecommand ship with Eisenhower
Bradley Montgomery.
It's like I'm making this stuffup.
You can't make this up.
How would I know about it?

Speaker 2 (28:19):
What was it like?
Because I'm just, you know when, know, doing air assaults and
stuff in Afghanistan and flyingaround and seeing like the
spectacle of war, I guess is agood way of saying it.
But just being out there andseeing endless ships everywhere,
can you still remember thatfeeling?

Speaker 3 (28:37):
Oh, do I ever?
Do I ever?
I have to now tell you I wassupposed to land on D-Day at
8.30 in the morning.
They were the Germans, held usup.
They were trying to kill us.
When I went in there and theykilled a lot of guys on the way

(29:02):
in there.
And remember, when you come inand walking through that water,
water was up to my neck andholding my rifle above and I was
the first one on that landingcraft.
So I sat back by the pilot andto fill in with 30 guys there

(29:30):
and we went around and around ina big circle waiting for the
time to get in there.
They wouldn't let us in.
There were others going aroundin circles and we were being
shot at from shore and then whenwe did get off of that, I was

(29:55):
the last guy off and we went ina line.
That beach under our feet wasloaded with mines over one
million mines.
And when you're going in thereother landing craft were going

(30:19):
same as us.
You know they had to get inthere and they were walking one
behind the other and you glanceover there and the spout of
water come out of there.
You knew somebody stepped on alandmine.
I was more afraid of steppingon landmines we were receiving

(30:41):
small arms fire than I was ofreceiving small arms fire.
Then it wasn't a small armsfire you were receiving small
arms fire from.

Speaker 2 (30:49):
I think it was two mg-42 machine guns yeah, yeah,
two mg-42, yes I was shot.
I was shot at, you know, by apkm, round, round one time and I
was scared.
I could only imagine goingthrough frigid, cold water up to

(31:12):
your neck and then getting onthe beach and having your
knowledge because you had waymore knowledge than anyone else
that was on that beach, at leastat your rank, because you
helped plan the entire evasionone else that was on that beach,
at least at your rank, becauseyou helped plan the entire
evasion.
So you knew what obstacles weregoing to be there Over a
million mines with directanti-tank obstacles fed in and

(31:36):
all of the different obstaclesthat were layered in in terms of
the wires.
When you finally got up to thecliffs cliffs, did you have what
?
What was your feeling at thatpoint?

Speaker 3 (31:49):
you got to hear a story before the eclipse.
This is, this is somethingthat's unbelievable.
I got up out of that water andthere was a little burn there of
sandstone and those two mgmachine guns, one from either

(32:12):
side of me, had me pinned downbehind that little berm and, uh
I, I got out a cigarette.
I had a waterproof packagethere.
I got out a cigarette, my damnmatches were wet and I sensed a

(32:35):
soldier to my left so I justhollered hey, buddy, have you
got a match?
And I got no answer.
And I turned no answer.
And I turned around and looked.
His helmet was close to his head, but there was no head in the
helmet.

(32:56):
And it was like a miracle, likehis soul was talking to me and
said get up and run right now.
And I did, and those two MGmachine guns stopped firing.

(33:16):
They probably reloaded orbarrels or something, who knows.
But how did I know?
How did I know when to get upand run?
And then they picked me upagain and but I weighed 120

(33:39):
pounds, I was five foot 10.
And you know what I thought?
This is, man, those Germans5'10".
And you know what I thought,man, those Germans aren't
trained to shoot toothpicks.

Speaker 2 (33:52):
Yes, you're too hard of a target I got it, but I made
it through.

Speaker 3 (34:03):
Now I lost a lot of memory.
It's blocked out for somereason or another.
Yeah, but the next thing I knew, corporal Rich, corporal
Madison Rich and I were diggingour foxholes.
It was a quarter after seven atnight.
I don't know how we set up thecommand post.

(34:24):
I don't remember.
I don't know how we we set upthe command post.
I don't remember, I don'tremember at all setting that up
and, of course, this is one ofthe major things yeah, had to do
, but it's a blank.
So it's, it's a blank in mybook.
You can can't add anything thatis not in your mind.

(34:49):
So I found a brand new litterlaying on the ground.
So I dug my foxhole a littlebit longer and put the litter
down in there and figured man,I'm going to sleep on dry canvas
instead of wet sand.

(35:11):
And somebody hollered from thecommand post Sergeant Larson,
colonel Hill wants to see youimmediately, immediately.
So I went down, reported tocolonel hill and he says
sergeant first army, just callme they.

(35:40):
They want me to keep g3 open 24hours a day.

Speaker 2 (35:44):
Wow, you're gonna, you're gonna run the night shift
I said, starting when.

Speaker 3 (35:50):
You should start it right, starting right now.
Yeah, yeah, I was just a, athree-stripe sergeant.
I was 21 years old.
And so I went back to CorporalRich and I said, maddy, he was
getting his stuff put down inhis foxhole.

(36:11):
I said you could sleep in myfoxhole tonight.
I gotta work.
I says you can use that litter,jake.
He says I got my fork sack allalready here.
So, uh, he threw his m1 grandrifle on my litter and he went

(36:33):
to sleep.
I went to work at midnight agerman reconnaissance plane came
over, dropped these littlehandkerchief-sized flares
magnesium flares to light up theplace.
Our anti-aircraft startedshooting up at them and I don't

(36:56):
know how long that went on.
The next thing I remember I wasbeing relieved 7.30 came.
I remember I was being relieved, 7.30 came.
So I went over to CorporalRisch getting out of bed and he
picked up a grinded rifle off ofmy litter and broke in two.

(37:19):
A piece of shrapnel had comedown 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 (37:33):
This is another example of how you were the
luckiest man alive.
That's amazing.

Speaker 3 (37:38):
Luckiest man in the world.
I call him.
What was the start of my luck?
I called.

Speaker 2 (37:44):
That was the start of my luck when you get an
opportunity, when you went backfor the 75th anniversary of
D-Day and you were able torevisit that site.
What was that experience likebeing able to go back there?

Speaker 3 (38:02):
I went back with my son and I told him about this
little berm and we had to comeup on Omaha Beach there for the
reporters.
I came across that berm.

(38:23):
That berm is still there.
All the stuff that wasoccupying Omaha Beach was not
there, but that berm was.
How is that possible?
How is that possible that I'dcome in the same place that I

(38:48):
actually landed?

Speaker 2 (38:49):
I, I love, I think you I've heard this on another
show, um, but you said thisbefore you are here you're,
you're not a hero and Iabsolutely love that is, um,
that you're here, for.
You're here for a reason.

Speaker 3 (39:05):
I'm not here too.
I I started that word and I'mproud of that, because it's what
I live up to.
I have TikTok.

Speaker 2 (39:18):
I'm a star on TikTok yeah, you are, you're, you're
kind of go from D-Day and thengetting ready to move in to
liberate Paris.
That's another thing.
That is, I think you were theonly US service member to get
the French Army Retired SoldierMedal.

(39:39):
That's amazing in itself.
I that's.

Speaker 3 (39:44):
That's amazing in itself.
That is what I'm kind of proudof Is every night I took over
Omaha Beach, I was in command ofOmaha Beach.
No one else was in command ofthat.

Speaker 2 (39:59):
That's incredible.

Speaker 3 (40:00):
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 heretalking to you 101 years old
without an ache or a pain?
How come these things come tomy mind?

(40:24):
I can remember the names, thetimes and all these things.
This stuff.
You don't read it in a book.
I was in an Operation Tigerthat slept in sands.
Two ships, two landing ships,tanks got torpedoed right

(40:51):
alongside of me.

Speaker 2 (40:53):
And that was in preparation, right, that was
practicing for the D-Dayinvasion.

Speaker 3 (40:59):
For D-Day.
Yes, yes, yes, yes.

Speaker 2 (41:02):
So the Battle of the Bulge, I think that was like one
of your last major experienceswithin World War II.

Speaker 3 (41:11):
It was that, and I was on the start of that story.

Speaker 2 (41:16):
You got lucky again with that.
Could you share that story ofof?

Speaker 3 (41:20):
the battle of the bulge was started on december
16th.
On december 15th, that nightmarlene dietrich was going to

(41:41):
perform for the troops dog gun.
I had to go to work and andthat still irritates me that I
didn't see her and my good buddywho was a master sergeant was
in signal and he got to get hera telephone and talking to her
and everything.
So I got rubbed.

Speaker 2 (42:03):
You should tell her I was the commander at Omaha
Beach.

Speaker 3 (42:07):
But it's at 2 o'clock in the morning, mp Corporal
drove up in his Jeep and came toa sliding stop in front of G3

(42:29):
that I had operating on a nightshift and he was so excited.
When he approached me hesaluted me.
When he approached me, hesaluted me and I'm a staff

(42:58):
sergeant, you know so you don'tsalute to staff sergeants he
saluted me and was talking atthe same time.
He said Sergeant, I'm from postnumber six.
I was walking my post and Ilooked up and there were german
parachutists coming down.
I said what did you do next?
He says I, I jumped in the jeepand came right up here.
I said good thinking.
So I, I went, woke up colonelhill in his sleeping, the van

(43:32):
and while I was telling him thathe 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, whatdid general droll tell you?
I said what do you mean?

(43:52):
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 thankyou, sergeant.
Why would a general bediscussing the thing with me?
You know so, but uh, that's one, one of the biggest days of my

(44:19):
life.
We we had to put magnesium, wehad to put magnesium timers into
our files.
All our stuff was top secret.
We didn't want the Germans toget any of that and G3 got cut

(44:52):
off from First Army and that wasa time of the Malmedy Massacre.
The tanks that went by theseprisoners that had their snowing
and they had their hands in theair, and this colonel from the
tank corps ordered hiscommanders of the tanks as they
went by those guys to shoot themwith their machine guns.

(45:15):
Have you ever heard that?
That put a lot of fire againstthe Germans.
It's one of the sad things thathappened in the war.
There's always somebody gettingkilled.

Speaker 2 (45:36):
War is a chaotic place.
Bad things happen, even withthe best intentions.
Unfortunately, the Iraq andAfghanistan, those campaigns you
can read hundreds of books ofbad things that happened during
those conflicts.
But 99% of the people make theright decisions, especially, you

(46:00):
know, in those times.
And I'm glad that there weremen like you during that time
that was willing to volunteer at15, joining the National Guard
and the infantrymen.
So I'm a fellow infantryman, soit's a special place in my
heart for that.

Speaker 3 (46:18):
Infantry.
When you get into the infantryyou're going to die an infantry
man.
My typing saved me.
My ability to type put methrough everything.

(46:39):
It's crazy, it really is crazy.
But six battles and never got ascratch.

Speaker 2 (46:52):
Came close, but close only counts in horseshoe,
horseshoes and hand grenades,and hand grenades, my
grandfather would always, alwaystell me that I think the last
major lucky break you got inWorld War II was the 45-day
furlough.
Was that around December, yeah?

Speaker 3 (47:12):
Oh, my God, yeah.

Speaker 2 (47:14):
Could you share that story?

Speaker 3 (47:18):
Oh, gladly.
It was December 30th andColonel Hill called me in.
He's on duty.
I'm not on duty until time togo to work at night, 7.30.

(47:40):
So he called me in and Ithought, oh, what the heck is
happening.
Now he says, sergeant, I got a45-day furlough for you back to
the state.
I said, sir me, yeah, he saysyou're the senior one here.

(48:06):
You got 127 points.
A hundred was made youavailable.
It was my service time timeoverseas.
I spent three years over there.
So I went down to France, tothe ex-submarine station I lost

(48:38):
the name of that place right nowmentally, but it's in the book
and I got in there about 11o'clock at night and turned the
lights on in the barracks tohave number one sleeping and

(49:00):
people were like just light itoff, just light it off, and I'm
dressed for winter back there.
And I got into my underwear andcrawled in there and I'm a
fast-golder sleeper, butsomething was jumping all over

(49:24):
my chest.
I got up and turned the lighton.
I was covered with fleas.
Oh wow.
I got dressed again and saidwhere'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 supplyroom and knocked on that screen

(49:47):
door.
They got in the tent.
I know a supply sergeant doesnot sleep outside his own tent.
He's afraid's going to come inand rip him off.
So I pounded finally what thehell?
You pointed out what's going on, I I?

(50:10):
I just got in from and, uh, I'msupposed to be sleeping.
My bed is full of fleas.
I need some flea powder.
Go back, go back, come to me inthe morning.
I'll get it for you.
I said you go right back tosleep, sergeant, they're

(50:35):
sergeants.
I know that I'm going to findthe commanding officer of this
unit.
Sergeant, they're sergeants.
I know that I'm gonna find thecommanding officer of this unit
and find out why my bed is fullof fleas.
Oh, hey, don't do that, I'llget up, I'll get you some food.
So I went back and doused mybed up and all these other guys

(50:58):
were hollering about me having aleg on everything.
Hey, can we roll, or something?
Oh man, I can't understand.
Somebody could go to sleepPlease.

Speaker 2 (51:11):
Yeah, that's insane.
You make it back.
Do you go back to HopeMinnesota when you get back?

Speaker 3 (51:19):
Oh, absolutely, I helped my dad.
He only had one boy there, thatwas Leo.
By that time that, by that timeI came back, they had

(51:41):
electricity, the milking machineleo did the milking machine was
the milk machine, what we usedto do, all by hand, completely
different.
And uh, my 45 days were up.
It took me 51 days to travelfrom Europe to get to Fort

(52:04):
Snelling.
51 days.
It was like a slow boat toChina, china.
But that didn't count off ofthat travel time, did not count

(52:27):
off of my furl.
So I had 45 days when I gotback and that that was the first
part of march.
And, um, so, by golly, so bygolly, I met this little girl
and I fell in love with her.

Speaker 2 (52:44):
And she had your picture right and.

Speaker 3 (52:47):
I didn't know anything about that.

Speaker 2 (52:49):
Major Ridgeway.

Speaker 3 (52:52):
Dead.
I fell in love with her and wewere married in November 23rd.

(53:22):
But when my time was up I wentup to Fort Snelling and waited
there, for a captain called mein and he said I just got word
from the pentagon I I can sendyou back to your unit or I can
give you a discharge.
You can give me a discharge andone of the first 12 discharged
before the war is over wow mymother was dying from leakage of
the heart.
I didn't even call home, I justrode the bus down.
I got the neighbor to come in.

(53:44):
He had a phone.
They out and take me home.
I never saw anyone so happy asmy mother.

Speaker 2 (53:53):
Team.
Let's take a quick break fromthis episode and I want to share
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(54:14):
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To lead others well, thatstarts by leading yourself well.
If you want to learn more, youcan go to
McMillianLeadershipCoachingcomand schedule a free call today.

(54:35):
Back to the episode.
That's amazing.
Your mother passed away fromleakage of the heart and didn't
they, didn't they figure out away how to cure that, was it?

Speaker 3 (54:52):
Two weeks Dr Hoffnagle from.
Washington DC invented thislittle valve that you can put in
there.
But it's like crying over spiltmilk.
You can't back up and do thingsover.
That's one of the things I talkabout what is done.

(55:22):
You can't start damningsomebody and do this.
If, if, if, if, if, yeah, yeah.
We had an F preach to us askids.
If the dog wouldn't havestopped to take a dump, he'd

(55:45):
have caught the rabbit, you know.

Speaker 2 (55:48):
When you got back from World War II and you were
transitioning back to the farmlife and having to figure out
how to reinvent yourself, youmet the love of your life.
What was?
What was that process like,coming back from three years of
like heavy combat?

Speaker 3 (56:10):
it was like you're in heaven.
You're about doing work.
That's essential and I signedup for a two year course at
Dunworthy Industrial inMinneapolis and I took

(56:34):
electricity.
I'm a journeyman lineman.
I worked hot stuff.
I also took air conditioning,small appliance repair.

(56:54):
It wasn't anything I could fixand it's from a farm boy.
I'm a farm boy, melt coals byhand and it was just part of the
job.
It's just part of growing up.

Speaker 2 (57:17):
I think that's one thing that's lost in this
generation.
My, my grandfather built hishome by hand.
My father built his home byhand, did all the electrical
work, did all of it, um, byitself.
But nowadays it's that thatskilled labor that was so
prevalent within your generationis gone.
Now everything's you knowvirtual or digital or there's a

(57:42):
way to do it to where you don'thave to understand how to do
that detailed, complex work.
But I love how you were able tocontinuously reinvent yourself
throughout your entire life, um,and just freely do it of how
easy you were able to adapt intothose types of situations
before going any further, Iwon't tell you I I I thought I'd

(58:07):
be happy running a servicestation and I I ran one for for
texacoaco for a year.

Speaker 3 (58:20):
I lost over $2,000 of my own money and the state
closed down the.
It wasn't a freeway at thattime, just a two-lane cement
road, and they closed it down.

(58:42):
To refurbish it, minnesota, yougotta do something in the
summer, you can't do it in thewinter.
There is no work in the winteron roads.
So they closed my way to thestation and Texas Co told me you

(59:04):
signed a contract with us.
You agreed to 30,000 gallons ofgasoline every month.
We can dump that on you.
I said well, you could find aplace to dump this station too,
because I'm going to quit you.
I went to work for a municipalplace in Austin, minnesota.

(59:34):
They had their own electrical.
So as quick as they found out Igraduated from Dunwoody, they
hired me.
A dollar and nine cents.
Dollar and nine cents.

Speaker 2 (59:54):
That is insane.
I worked on the.
My first job was square billing.
Uh and I I got paid fourdollars an hour and looking back
at that now yeah, four dollarsan hour I was like man, that's
not enough money, that is crazyso, uh so.

Speaker 3 (01:00:15):
So my wife was was pregnant there while I had that
station so I'd go home for lunch.
Well, your hands are alwaysdirty, so I'm in the washer to
wash my hands.
I'm in the washroom to wash myhands and she's got her wallet

(01:00:48):
all stripped out and all thestuff she had in the wallet was
laying up on a shelf there.
And I looked down and there'sthat picture of me in a Jeep,
and by God, that was in thenewspaper.
So I go to her where did youget this picture?

(01:01:09):
Oh, when I was in a sophomorein high school.
That came out in the DailyPeople's Press and I just cut it
out and put it.
In high school.
That came out in the DailyPeople's Press and I just cut it
out and put it in my wallet.
You cut out my picture and putit in your wallet.
That's kind of strange.
She says that's what mygirlfriend said too.

(01:01:31):
She says who is that guy?
She says that's the guy I'mgoing to marry.
Wow, so happy god that isincredible and we're here
situated today because we're ina house that my mother of my
wife said this is, this is mydream house.

(01:01:54):
I want two 30-year mortgages.

Speaker 2 (01:02:00):
That is incredible.
How long were you married toyour wife?

Speaker 3 (01:02:05):
Well, 45 years, and then she died.

Speaker 2 (01:02:08):
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 ahappy marriage over such a long
period of time when I see all myfriends like always getting in

(01:02:29):
issues with their relationships?
But it was so common back thenof having these long, beautiful,
healthy marriages well it.

Speaker 3 (01:02:37):
It didn't.
It wasn't too healthy for awhile.
People get used to living aloneand you got to sacrifice.
If you love somebody, I let herrun the house, no objections to

(01:03:15):
anything.
All I did was furnish the moneyto do it and I always had
part-time work because myabilities were so varied that I
was a TV repairman and I lookback at all the stuff I did.
And when I came to California Istarted off as a TV repairman.
My sister and her husband ranher front shop down here in

(01:03:36):
Berkeley and my sister called medown in Los Angeles and said
George wants you to come up andwork for him in the print shop
anything about printing.
And she says I'll have george,give me a call.

(01:04:00):
So my brother-in-law calls mejake, I'd like to have you come.
Come and work for me in theprint shop, george, I man, I.
I'm just walking through yourprint shop and look like stuff
was laying all over her,disorganized, and he says I, I

(01:04:22):
can't get good help from theunion.
He says I, I could train youand I know you'll be doing the
right thing.
I know you'll be doing theright thing.
My God, george, I'm getting$3.12.

(01:04:43):
Now you got a raise here, mine,I got it made.
Jake, if you come and work forme, I'll give you a 10-cent
raise.
Wow, 10 cents.

(01:05:03):
Man, work for me, I'll give youa 10 cent raise, wow, then, yes
, man, when money speaks likethat.
There I went to work in theprint 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.

(01:05:24):
And I mastered the hand setting, stripping and then started
running the letter printingpresses.

(01:05:50):
My brother, brother-in-law andsister went back to Minnesota to
visit my dad and left me incharge in six weeks.
My mind is part mechanical.
If I see something work once, Ican make it work again.

Speaker 2 (01:06:19):
That's amazing.
And you ended up working until1955 and you retired at the age
of 73.
And then how did you stay busyafter you retired?

Speaker 3 (01:06:35):
I got this little girl here.
She's my granddaughter.
She's sitting right herelistening to this here.
Well, I turned 73, december20th.
One month exactly one month tothe day, november 20th, this

(01:07:00):
little girl, my granddaughter,turned three.
I got to be in charge of mygranddaughter, one of the

(01:07:24):
luckiest see, I'm the luckiestman in the world.
I, I got to raise her and she'schanged me.
She, she put me on tick tock.
She, she, she graduated I, Itook her to.
She wouldn't even get adriver's license.
I said she had to help papajake bring her to high school.

(01:07:45):
And then, the quickest she gotout of high school, he got a
driver's license.
See, the blessing of my life.
She put me on tick.
She said when covid came, shelike came off from no more
dancing, so cruise ship stoppedand she came home.

(01:08:08):
And about a week later she, shesaid, she said, papa, I put you
on my TikTok.
What the hell is TikTok?
Oh, you just tell stories onthere.
She says I put on one of yours.
I said where did you get that?
Well, when you told me I justhad my phone on, I just put it

(01:08:34):
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 ofworms here.
She says well, I'm kind ofconcerned.
She says it took me 10 monthsto get 10,000 viewers.

(01:08:57):
He says it took me 10 months toget 10,000 viewers.

Speaker 2 (01:09:01):
You got 10,000 viewers in a week.
You've lived through some ofthe biggest events in world
history that I can think of andyour ability to recall
information at this age it'sjust truly inspiring.
It really is.
I am amazed of just how sharpyour recollection of those times

(01:09:24):
were and and how you have sucha vivid memory and can recall
that information and yourgranddaughter too.
I know I know you're listeningto this, but you know.
Thank you for helping set thisup and sharing Papa Jake's story
, because it's an absoluteblessing to the world.
It really is.

Speaker 3 (01:09:44):
It's a real blessing to me she's sitting right here
now.
When I speak Kayla's name, hername is Michaela.
Speak Kayla's name, her name isMichaela.
They said we're going to namethe baby Michaela.
I said Kayla.
I said put an MC on there,it'll be more distinct.

(01:10:10):
Everybody is named Kayla.
Now it seems like.

Speaker 2 (01:10:14):
Everyone with an MC in the front their name.
They're just way cooler.
I can attest to that.
What was the best experience ofyou, you know, start this
TikTok journey, sharing yourstories.
What was the best experiencethat came from that?

Speaker 3 (01:10:34):
Oh man, I didn't tell you about.
We were sent to north irelandin 1942.
I went over there with the 34thinfantry division and I was in
the 135th infantry regiment.
That's uh, the, the, the modelof that regiment is to the last

(01:10:59):
man and I am that last man.
Can you believe that?
Can you really believe thatit's?
It's crazy.
I I don't know how this stuffjust keeps happening to me.
I do go out and look for thesethings.

(01:11:34):
I got a call from one of thepilots for Airlines.
I fell in love with her On the78th anniversary of D-Day.
She pushed my wheelchair aroundshe's a pilot, she's a pilot

(01:11:55):
and she piloted my wheelchairaround.
She's a pilot, she's a pilotand she piloted my wheelchair
around and we fell in love witheach other.

(01:12:19):
That woman is just unbelievable.
When we went down the 79th Imet her.
She was co-pilot then on theship.
That were 43 of us, 43 veterans, going over on the 79th and I

(01:12:43):
met her and I took this hat I'mwearing right now and I put it
on her head and somephotographer there took a
picture of me with her there.
That wrote in the AtlantaJournal down there and that
picture was picked for Pictureof the Year.

(01:13:07):
Wow, that stuff just keepshappening to me it's crazy.

Speaker 2 (01:13:17):
It couldn't happen to a better, more humble person.
And, in respect to your time, Iknow we only touched the
surface of a lot of thequestions that I could have
asked you, but the one bigquestion that I'd love to end
with is what advice would youoffer an individual or someone

(01:13:38):
that's just getting ready tostart into their career, start
their own leadership journey?
What advice would you give them?

Speaker 3 (01:13:48):
That's kind of a difficult one.
But if you're going to work forsomebody or you want somebody
to work for you, you've got torealize everybody isn't born
with the knowledge that youthink they have Be lenient.

(01:14:09):
I never had any problem withanybody working for me while I
was in the service.
If they didn't know how to dosomething, I taught them how to
do it, how to do it the rightway, and it always worked out.

(01:14:31):
I never had to pull rank.
Like I say, I don't even knowhow to pull rank.
I don't value myself any morethan the next person when I say

(01:14:51):
I'm the luckiest man in theworld.
I got that way by doing my jobthe 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 therewhen you satisfy somebody like a

(01:15:17):
full.
He became a general after Ileft.
So all those plans he madethere I don't know where.
I'm bragging about what I cando and what I can't do.

(01:15:42):
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 isa hereto Well that opened up
the gates for me.
I'm here to tell you I'm notthe hero.

(01:16:05):
Those guys that paved the wayfor me and gave their life.
They're the heroes.
They're the heroes and I preachthat All my sermons and they
are sermons for those guys.
I believe there is an afterlife.

(01:16:29):
So many things happen to methat are not.
Everybody says says it's justcoincidence.
You can't have that manycoincidences it's statistically
impossible.
I never had a childhood ailmentand my younger, two year younger

(01:16:53):
brother had everything.
Brothers, how come I never hadany of that stuff?
There's something weird.

Speaker 2 (01:17:04):
I I generally believe that that everyone is is made
from god with the purpose.
Um, we're all designed for thepurpose and we all have a
direction and your purpose.
You're living it.
I think you're sharing yourstories and you're glorifying
the men that you served withduring world war ii and you're
just carrying their memories tothe current generation that

(01:17:27):
we're in right now and I and Igenuinely mean this that it was
the hallmark of my day and thewhole year.
Nothing's going to beat thisfor me for 2024.
Getting an opportunity to talkwith you.
I'm serious.
To get an opportunity to talkwith you has been a humbling
experience.
The last thing I want to ask isif someone would want to reach

(01:17:51):
out and find you or add value toyou in any way, how could they
do that?

Speaker 3 (01:18:00):
Just continue what you're doing.
Tune in and listen to me onTikTok.
I have everything that I needin life.
I'm loved.
I love when I say I'm theluckiest man in the world.

(01:18:24):
When you got a family like Igot, how could you not love them
?
They're taking care of this oldman and people say, my goodness
, you're 101 now, and what isthe purpose of life?
Are you enjoying this?

(01:18:46):
You're living into an ageEverybody wants to reach that
age.
I says, look, the thing withreaching my age is I don't have
any friends left that I was bornand raised with Just nobody.
Every person I was in theservice with my buddies who

(01:19:12):
would put up their life for meare gone.
They're all gone.
Everybody is trying to reach uphere.
It's been a job for me to gethere.

(01:19:33):
I had a stroke.
I couldn't move and I woke upin the morning and my oldest son
lives above me and my youngerson lives alongside of me and
and my alarm went off in themorning.
I couldn't get up and shut itoff.

(01:20:05):
My mind was as clear as rightnow and I thought what, what's
going to happen?
I couldn't reach over to forthe phone, I couldn't move and
my oldest son came down, camedown, 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.

(01:20:25):
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 getCarl.

(01:20:47):
And so on.
They came and started to get methe reason for me to pass out.
But I recovered from that Alittle atrophy in my left hand

(01:21:09):
and I dragged my left foot alittle bit, but I think it
increased my mental ability.
I got a hell of a memory.
And then, about a year afterthat, I had been to Minnesota

(01:21:33):
for seven weeks and even made atrip up to Wisconsin Eau Claire,
wisconsin for the last reunionof the Fifth Corps.
And by golly, I got home fromthat after seven weeks there and

(01:21:56):
I was going through the mail at8 o'clock at night and Kirk
came down from upstairs andlooked in my refrigerator.
I didn't do nothing in therebecause I told him to use
everything I was getting new andhe started to go upstairs.
I said, kirk, wait a minute,you got a problem.
I said, yeah, I'm getting dizzy.

(01:22:19):
And he said I'll be right down.
So he went upstairs and got hiskeys, took them out of the
Kaiser in Walnut Creek.
By the time I got there I wasfeeling pretty good again and I
said to the doctor I think Icould 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

(01:22:42):
bottom of this here.
He says there's something wrong.
So so I made the bed and wiredme the next morning.
The next morning I woke up inConcord Hospital with six stents

(01:23:02):
in me and the doctor came andsays how are you feeling?
I said I feel like a new man.
He says well, kaiser wants usto ship you over to San
Francisco.
You've got to have five or morestents.
I got 11 stents in me.

(01:23:23):
How many people, 101 years old,have got 11 stents in them?

Speaker 2 (01:23:31):
I know the VA probably wouldn't have done that
.

Speaker 3 (01:23:35):
The VA probably wouldn't have done that.
They lost all my papers inKentucky.
They all burned up.
The L's and the M's burned upso I never got to use my VA
stuff.
I had to buy my own.
And thank God I had to buy myown.

(01:23:57):
Thank God I had to because theVA would never have given me 11
cents.

Speaker 2 (01:24:04):
I 100% agree with that.
As bad as that is to joke about, I fully agree with it.
Out of respect for your time, Ijust want to say thank you
again for being a guest on this.

Speaker 3 (01:24:21):
You made this a pleasure.
Last time I talked to a terrorkiller.
His name was Jocko Jocko Woods.
He flew me down to yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:24:38):
I think that's where jaco's out of san diego yeah,
yeah yeah he flew there to sandiego.

Speaker 3 (01:24:47):
He was amazed, he, he , he went through the book,
little sentence, a book, andwhat a man he is.
Yeah, he's Entire Navy SEAL.

Speaker 2 (01:25:03):
I have the honor and privilege now you know my
current job, working in SOCOM orSpecial Operations Commands,
and getting to see a lot of youknow SEALs and other operators,
and they're all incredible,incredible individuals.

Speaker 3 (01:25:20):
They are incredible, far beyond anything compared to
me.
I'm just that little infantryboy.

Speaker 2 (01:25:30):
Well, I think I took all your gains.
When I joined the infantry Iwas like 240 pounds and then,
slowly over time, the infantry Iwas like 240 pounds, then,
slowly over time, the infantryhas whittled me down.

Speaker 3 (01:25:40):
I was just twice my size.
My God, I can't believe it.

Speaker 2 (01:25:48):
Yeah, I was double your size, 6'2", 240 pounds when
I commissioned as a secondlieutenant in the army.
Yeah, now I weigh 180 afterthree knee surgeries and a
couple back injuries.
Uh, I had to whittle, whittleall my muscle away.

Speaker 3 (01:26:11):
You got to read my book and read about Carlos Boki,
my buddy in high school, whojoined the National Guard.
Because I was in it and we weredown to Camp Claiborne and I
had to be company clerk and sowe'd meet on Sundays and he says

(01:26:33):
, jake, let's join the Air Corps.
And he says, jake, become aofficer when you graduate there.

(01:27:02):
I says what the benefit of that?
Well, some money.
The money speaks.
So we went down and signed upfor Air Corps.
We got to pass a physical forthat.
I passed everything except myeyes.

Speaker 2 (01:27:25):
You're colorblind.

Speaker 3 (01:27:26):
Born colorblind.
So Carlos went to Florida, Iwent back to work and then I
went to.
When the Japanese hit PearlHarbor, I went overseas to North
Ireland.
That was two years ago, isn'tit?

(01:27:50):
Two years ago they co-funded me.
They paid our way over there,because I mentioned our station,
brownlow House.
Brownlow House I can't think ofthe name brown low house, rock

(01:28:18):
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 andwhen they found that out there's
no one else alive theyco-funded and had me come over
there.
They invited us back out toBrownlow House.

(01:28:41):
They're going to have a specialday for me.
Show me what's happening inBrownlow House.
So we drives there and we comeup there.
There's an American flag that'sflying up on top.
There's American soldiersmarching on the field.

(01:29:02):
There's a couple of jeepsrunning around there.
I said, my God, we'reinterrupting something big here.
What in the world did that evertell us to come here at this
time when they got operationslike that?
The next thing I knew I wasbeing escorted over to a Jeep

(01:29:26):
and given a Jeep ride.
They were actors.
They were actors acting for meand they had a big round table
there where all the importantpeople sat and I sat at the head
of the table.
They had the embassies fromfive countries France, germany,

(01:29:54):
luxembourg, belgium, the UnitedStates and they were trying to
get up and read all theseaccolades and I thought it was a
farce.
I thought this was made up.
Nobody could be that important.
I said read all these accoladestoo.

(01:30:15):
And then the United Statesambassador got up and he started
off with the accolades.
And then his last sentence wasthis day, march 18th, will
forever be called Jake LarsonDay.
I got a day name for me.

(01:30:36):
How many people you know get aday name for them?
A country boy.
What a day name for him.

Speaker 2 (01:30:46):
With an incredible life, an absolutely incredible
story.

Speaker 3 (01:30:54):
It's weird.
It's weird, just weird.
And while we're over there, wewas reading my book.

(01:31:18):
When we came, she was readingmy book.
Over in Ireland One of the boysgot a hold of that book after
we left and he wrote a songabout my book.
That book you can get onYouTube.
That song, you can get it onYouTube.

(01:31:40):
It's crazy, the stuff thathappens to me.
I don't mean for this to happen.

Speaker 2 (01:31:51):
It just happens.
Well, you deserve it.
Everything that you've done inservice to this nation and
continue to do.
You continue to bring light toall the service members that you
served with and honor theirmemory and everything that you
have done in the past isgenuinely amazing, and

(01:32:12):
everything that comes your wayagain.
I believe everyone's createdfor a purpose from God and I
believe you're filling thatpurpose out right now, sharing
the stories, continuing to sharethose stories, and it's been a
humbling experience just beingable to hear those Well, I'm not

(01:32:34):
looking for glory.

Speaker 3 (01:32:37):
I've got the best life in the world.
I'm a very positive person.
There's no negativitywhatsoever.
Everything is positive.

Speaker 2 (01:32:48):
If there's anything that I can ever do, and to
Michaela too as well if there'sanything I can ever do for you
guys, do not hesitate to reachout and ask for me, because I
would gladly do it.

Speaker 3 (01:33:04):
That is the most wonderful gift anyone can give
your own service.

Speaker 2 (01:33:11):
Well, sir, I appreciate your time.
Michaela, again, thank you forsetting this up and I mean that
if you ever need anything, I'malways here.
Us mix have to stick togetherright, Absolutely.

Speaker 3 (01:33:28):
Well, it's been a pleasure talking to you.
Your Army and we understandeach other.

Speaker 2 (01:33:46):
Yeah, we speak the language.

Speaker 3 (01:33:48):
Nowadays I joke that I can talk acronyms to someone
in the national guard, from alittle old hayseed hayseed kid
and and it's, it's crazy, that'sthe only word anybody of us can

(01:34:10):
think about.
Not only is it crazy, but it'sgetting crazier.
You would not believe what NBCis doing right now.
They're getting ready for theSummer Olympics in France.
They found out that I befriendsome of these little kids over

(01:34:35):
there, a couple of girls andtheir brother, and they saw,
when I went over there, thesekids tackling me, all around my
wheelchair, hugging me andkissing me.
And they learned one thing inEnglish I love you, papa Jake.

(01:34:58):
I got happy tears talking aboutit.
Nbc picked up on that.
Nbc picked up on that.

(01:35:24):
They had me covered with wiresOur last trip, the 79th to D-Day
, and they came over andphotographed me every which way
you can think of, and theyphotographed our children.
And they came back September12th here right to my home, and
photographed all day, part ofthe day here and then part over

(01:35:47):
to Michaela's sister's home.
And all that stuff is being puttogether to fit in between
events that are happening ontheir big day.
So you'll be seeing me andthose kids.

Speaker 2 (01:36:08):
That's amazing and I hope my kids are listening to
this right now.
I have a six and a ten-year-oldand they were really excited to
hear your stories.
That's amazing.

Speaker 3 (01:36:26):
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 haveone right there.
I'll show them oh wow.

Speaker 2 (01:36:43):
Oh wait, a little bit higher, there we go.
Yeah, happy hundred firstbirthday, papa jack.
Happy 101st birthday, papa Jack.
Consider it done.
My daughter will write you thebest, most memorable letter, and
then my son will give you asquiggle mark.
So it's going to be great.

Speaker 3 (01:37:02):
I love children.
They're the future of the world100%.

Speaker 2 (01:37:08):
Yeah, everything I do now is really through the, the
lens of of my children.
Um, almost all my actions noware through.
Are they going to be productivemembers of society and am I
giving them the tools and to besuccessful in life?
Yeah, that's amazing.

Speaker 3 (01:37:28):
I got happy tears.
I really do.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
It's an honor for this old manto be sitting here.
I don't look for praise, Idon't need praise, I'm so

(01:37:50):
blessed.
It's just crazy, crazy, crazy.
And it just keeps on going.
We spent last summer inMinnesota at the Steele County

(01:38:14):
Free Fair.
The fair was put on in my honor.
Every day of that fair I stoodthere, sat there signing books
or autographs, and they had thelimits to people took four
minutes with me.
It's crazy.
Minutes with me, it's crazy.

(01:38:36):
I thought I would never standin line to talk to me.
I can't stand to even look atmyself.
I don't stand to hear myselftalk.
I can't stand to hear myselftalk.

Speaker 2 (01:38:48):
Steve Browning, phd.
Well, your stories carry somuch weight and they obviously
resonate with people with thelarge following that you've
built.
People, people want to hearyour stories, want to hear those
inspiring stories and you, youneed to continue to do it,
because the world needs light.
Especially now I, I feel likethe world needs light for all my

(01:39:10):
buddies who are gone.

Speaker 3 (01:39:13):
I want them to be remembered, because I I wasn't
out over there by myself.
Guys that were with me, theymade the way for me.
You don't think of that tillyou get home.
Don't think of that till youget home.

(01:39:35):
There's a lot of old guys overthere.
When they got home, it wasalways about them, what they did
, what they.
I'm a different person.
It's what the other people didfor me.
That's kept me going and I yeahthis has been an amazing
opportunity.

Speaker 2 (01:39:52):
I'm going to say it one more time, but I genuinely
mean it.
Thank you.
Thank you for the hour and 49minutes that we've been able to
share.
Thank you for sharing yourstories.
It's been amazing.

Speaker 3 (01:40:06):
I can't believe it's been that long.

Speaker 2 (01:40:09):
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 thatwisdom as possible.

Speaker 3 (01:40:26):
I want to tell you the University of Delaware has
got a history professor there.
He called me, he madearrangements to come back here
to my home.
He interviewed me for fourhours Four hours Of course.

(01:40:57):
He's using that interview totrain his future history
professors at DelawareUniversity and that interview is
now in Eisenhower Library inKansas.
Two entries in the Library ofCongress, two Veterans Days in a
row I've been back inWashington being interviewed for
go to Library of Congress.

(01:41:19):
I don't do this to get into alibrary.
It just happens.
It just happens to me.
I don't understand it.

Speaker 2 (01:41:35):
If you ever find yourself back in Washington DC
anyone in your family you alwayshave a place to stay.
That's where I'm stationedright now.

Speaker 3 (01:41:43):
So Wow, wow.

Speaker 2 (01:41:45):
You'll have to reach out next time you visit.

Speaker 3 (01:41:47):
Yes, we'll have to reach out to you.

Speaker 2 (01:41:50):
Have you got an opportunity to go back to the,
the brand new army museum thatthey just built, and it's a
phenomenal.

Speaker 3 (01:41:57):
It is a phenomenal museum, it's a world-class
museum no I think you would, youwould love that well, I I was
pretty, I was satisfied with theintersection, and all for doing
the Vietnam Museum before theyeven did World War II.
Yeah.

(01:42:18):
So many of my friends diedwithout getting recognized.
That has stirred me up so much.
That's what keeps me going.
I want people on the righttrack yeah, yeah, you would.

Speaker 2 (01:42:36):
You would love that um museum.
They have a section dedicatedto world war ii and it's it.
It's phenomenal, um.
It's better than the infantrymuseum at fort benning uh, it's
now fort moore and that was oneof the best museums that I've
ever seen, at least from theArmy standpoint.

Speaker 3 (01:42:54):
Well, I've been to one down in New Orleans.

Speaker 2 (01:43:02):
Yeah, the World War II Museum in New Orleans.

Speaker 3 (01:43:05):
Is this one their church?
Not that one no.

Speaker 2 (01:43:11):
But you have one that says it on there.

Speaker 3 (01:43:17):
My problem is when I go into an Army museum.
I became surrounded.
People can't get enough of me.

Speaker 2 (01:43:30):
I will be your bodyguard and I'll get some
other scary individuals that Iknow.
But that being said, sir, Idon't want to take any more time
than you have to give.

Speaker 3 (01:43:43):
If I had to charge for my time.

Speaker 2 (01:43:46):
I wouldn't afford it.
I give you a sense.

Speaker 3 (01:43:51):
My time is worthless.
It's getting the message out.
That's what we do.
Try to get the message out.

Speaker 2 (01:44:05):
Well, you captured that message beautifully, and I
think the payment for this is Iwant to make sure that my kids
send you the best card possible.

Speaker 3 (01:44:20):
God golly, I will look forward to that.
Yes, it truly has beenwonderful talking to you you're
right up there, what your job?

Speaker 2 (01:44:28):
well, that's humbling because, uh, I look up to him
and, um, yeah, that that'shumbling, because, uh, I look up
to him and, um, yeah, that'sthat's humbling, I, I this has
been one of my favorite podcasts.
I've done 96 now.
I've never done one over anhour.
Uh, this one's going on to bealmost two hours and I was just,
I still am just lost in yourstory and just humbled by your

(01:44:49):
service.
It's absolutely incredible.
And what you continue to do toshare the memories of those who
have fought and bringing themalong your journey and touching
so many lives today, it'sincredible.
I always call people a servantleader, a purposeful,
accountable leader or a pal, andyou are the embodiment of that,

(01:45:13):
of a purposeful and accountableleader, and thank you for
everything that you do, youcontinue to do.
You bring light into this worldand it's amazing.

Speaker 3 (01:45:27):
All these birthday cards I got here.
My belly was going to getthrough them, but every one of
them we answered every one ofthem, because everybody that
writes in is important to me.
We need people to keepinterested in giving thanks to

(01:45:50):
those people above who never gotthanked.
The museums came in long after,but a lot of these people were
dead.

Speaker 2 (01:46:01):
Yeah, that's incredible, being an Afghanistan
and Iraq war veteran.
There was museums and combatoperations that I've been in
that I can go visit right now.
But I could not imagine beingin such a major conflict that
shaped the world as we know itright now and not having a
museum to kind of go back to.

(01:46:22):
And one of my, my firstdeployment to Afghanistan.
We lost several soldiers duringthat one and we didn't have a
memorial.
It took them five years to do.
But to us like that was almostunacceptable, like it took you
five years to build thatMemorial.
It should have been done, youknow, within a year.
I could only imagine, um whatyou know the veterans of World

(01:46:43):
War II felt when it took themthat long to build well, so many
people and we didn't have theVA to back up on.

Speaker 3 (01:46:56):
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 (01:47:12):
The VA.

Speaker 3 (01:47:14):
But they did get me hearing aids.
Man, yeah, I didn't have to payfor these babies.

Speaker 2 (01:47:21):
That's awesome, I love it.

Speaker 3 (01:47:23):
I love it.
So I think Kayla here isshutting down.

Speaker 2 (01:47:30):
Ready for dinner time .

Speaker 3 (01:47:31):
Yes.

Speaker 2 (01:47:33):
Yeah, and I got to get ready to go play dad and put
my son to bed, and again, it'sbeen an absolute honor.
Thank you, Michaela, forsetting this up, and then Papa
Jake, thank you for just beingyou.

Speaker 3 (01:47:45):
Anytime.

Speaker 2 (01:47:47):
All right take care.
Bye have a good one.

Speaker 3 (01:47:49):
Thank you.
All right, take care.
Bye, have a good one.

Speaker 2 (01:47:50):
Thank you All right team.
What a phenomenal episode withJake Larson.
I mean, how could you not leavethis episode with a sense of
wonder?
Everything that he has done isjust absolutely an incredible

(01:48:13):
story, and I never thought in mylifetime that I wasn't going to
have an opportunity to speakwith a World War Two veteran.
Really, this was somethingthat's you know on my bucket
list and I have an opportunityto do so, and his ability just
to recall information'sastounding.
I I am truly amazed and howlong and the stamina that he has

(01:48:37):
that that we could go.
It's funny as his granddaughter,michaela, I think, had to kick
us off because I had such acurious mind.
I I was lost in his story ofjust the wisdom that he had to
share.
So so it's time for our afteraction review.
So what are the top threetakeaways that I took from this
episode?
And that's a hard ask becausethere was a lot, and I also,

(01:49:02):
full transparency, did ahorrible job taking notes
because I was just so lost inhis story, but I distilled it
down to, I think, three lessonsthat I learned from Papa Jake.
Number one is sacrifice how hesacrificed his entire life,
starting off growing up on afarm in Minnesota.

(01:49:24):
Every single person in hisfamily had a chore Minnesota.
Every single person in hisfamily had a chore.
They had a job, they had a task, they had a purpose and they
had to work together as a teamto accomplish that, because he
was growing up during the GreatDepression.
That's a level of sacrifice andhard that I do not fully

(01:49:45):
understand or comprehend becauseI grew up in a different time,
but I know that my grandparentsthat are no longer here with me
grew up during that time.
That forged them into such aresilient and reliant group of
people that could overcomeanything, they could build

(01:50:05):
anything, they could do anything.
And it's like my grandfatherbuilt his home, did all the
electrical work, do anything.
And it's like my grandfatherbuilt his home, did all the
electrical work just a differentlevel of sacrifice that he went
through his entire life andeverything that he gets now is
just well deserved, because hedeserves every single bit of

(01:50:25):
praise that we can give him andhim.
Continuing to share the memoryof those and honoring those who
served before him and servedwith him and serve after him is
just absolutely incredible.
The second key takeaway that Igot is being lenient and
teaching people what right lookslike, and that's easily done,

(01:50:49):
often overlooked, especiallynowadays.
We do not view people as people.
We view people as systems andobjects.
And here's a great example Ilive in Washington DC and when
I'm driving with my family, wealways have to go on dreaded 95.
And if you're from this area, Ithink you understand what I

(01:51:10):
mean.
But people are quick to blowhorns at you when you're trying
to merge into traffic, even ifyou're using the signal light
and all the proper drivingtechnique, but they don't make
eye contact with you.
Why is that?
Because they don't view you asa person.
They view as an obstacle, theyview as a car, they view you as
a thing in their way to theirend state.

(01:51:32):
The same is true, I think, withleadership nowadays is that we
don't view people as people.
We view them as a part of asystem.
But you cannot hold someoneaccountable unless you have
taught them what right lookslike and how to do that, and
you've given them theopportunity, the authority and

(01:51:52):
the tools to do so.
And you also just need to belenient, give them grace, and if
you can do that, I genuinelybelieve that you are going to
build a organization that canweather any storm.
And the final key takeaway thatI got from this episode was a
thread that I saw in his entirelife of how he continued to have

(01:52:18):
these amazing opportunitiesgifted to him.
Well, I believe it's because healways did the best possible
job in whatever job he foundhimself in.
And that's so true in life isthat you never know where you're
going to end up.
Most of the jobs that I hadwhen I was in the army I'm still

(01:52:39):
in the army.
I don't plan to get out anytimesoon.
I didn't have a say in.
The army told me where to go.
The army told me to go to FortPolk, louisiana, and be an OCT.
Trust me, I tried to get out ofit.
That was the best job because Iput myself into that position,
I embraced it, I accepted it andI did the best possible job

(01:53:00):
that I could.
And he did that in every singleposition that he had.
I got that.
He poured himself into thatposition.
He did the best possible jobthat he could, and I think that
that's a lesson that position,he did the best possible job
that he could, and I think thatthat's a lesson that we just
need to take.
Hey, you don't need a perfectjob, right, and I saw this
LinkedIn post that this lady'sgoal for 2024 is to have a fully

(01:53:24):
remote job paying $150,000 ayear.
Great, that's awesome that youcan do that and you should pour
yourself into that job.
But you may not get that.
You may not get the dream jobthat you want.
You're going to have a job andit goes back to the level of
sacrifice.
There's always a level oftrade-off and sacrifice that we
have to make, but whatever jobyou do have that you're gifted

(01:53:49):
an opportunity.
Do your best, do your absolutebest and give it a hundred
percent.
It goes back to the rule of ahundred percent that I always
talk about.
You can only give your besteffort, 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

(01:54:11):
all you can do.
All right, team.
This has been a phenomenalepisode.
It's been a longer podcast thanI normally do.
It's been a different type offormat than I typically do, but
it's been worth it, becauseeverything that Papa Jake shared
has been phenomenal and this isa once in a lifetime
opportunity, and I wanted togive him the platform to talk as
much as he wanted to and sharehis message with the world.

(01:54:36):
But do me a favor If you'd likethe content that I continuously
produce for you guys, sharethis podcast, share it with your
family, share it with yourfriends, share it with the world
and make sure you review thispodcast.
Whatever platform you'relistening to, give me a
five-star review.
Follow me on social media.

(01:54:57):
Go tomcmillianleadershipcoachingcom.
See the additional leadershipresources that I have to offer
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And, as always, make sure youare giving every single day your

(01:55:21):
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#100 Jake Larson "Papa Jake" - WWII Veteran

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}#100 Jake Larson "Papa Jake" - WWII Veteran