Elmer Landon Debarea was born on 27th July 1922 in Pontiac, Michigan. His parents moved to Kansas sometime before 1930. He married, but this appears to have lasted only briefly.


The portrait above right of Elmer is very different from the formal picture below left or the one of Elmer taken in December 1945 during some leave in France, the V-mail letter to his folks was sent while he was in England. This confirmed his unit and ASN.

Elmer served with the 501st during it's time in England, France and Belgium. According to his Catherine Lilley, a girl he met in England, he broke a leg during the D-Day drop, as well as later receiving a serious head wound that required a steel plate to be fitted in his head. He married, but this appears to have lasted only briefly.

This young warrior came home in early 1946, to his family and young brother who idolised him. The young man who had been through so much only stayed here a few short months before leaving home. He has not been heard from in 59 years!

The family of Elmer Debarea, including his younger brother and his daughter (seen above left) are hoping that visitors to this site can piece together the final parts of the puzzle.

The disk that he lost all those years ago has been returned to Kansas for them to treasure. Please let us know if you were a B Company 501st veteran who may remember Elmer. We'd like to bring him home again, for good. Please contact us. We can now expand the story further, thanks to the wonders of web and the popularity of WW2 Battlefield Relics!

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