George C. Strong Jr. was born on June 28, 1921. He served in the 723rd Bomber Squadron, 450th Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Second Lieutenant and Navigator of B-24 #41-29226 nicknamed ''Leaky Tub'' during World War II.

On February 23, 1944, the B-24 Liberator “Leaky Tub” was lost during a bombing mission over Austria. Flying out of Manduria Airfield in southern Italy, the aircraft was part of a large 15th Air Force formation targeting heavily defended industrial and transportation sites in southern Germany and Austria. As the formation crossed into Austrian airspace near Steyr, “Leaky Tub” came under intense fire from German fighters and anti-aircraft guns. The aircraft sustained heavy damage and ultimately went down near the Kematen an der Krems/Lambach area. Of the eleven crew members aboard, ten were killed in action, while one survived and was taken as a prisoner of war.

2Lt Strong was Killed in Action and is now buried in the Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA.

Source of information: www.450thbg.com, www.facebook.com/Aviano Air Base, www.findagrave.com