George Benjamin Linkletter was born on December 29, 1923, in Newburgh, Orange County, New York. He was the son of Casper Lawrence and Lucy Jane Terwillige. He attended high school for 2 years and worked as an attendant at a filling station before he enlisted in the service on January 29, 1943. He served in the 702nd Bomber Squadron, 445th Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Staff Sergeant and Nose Turret Gunner of B-24H #42-50324 nicknamed ''Eileen'' during World War II.

On September 27, 1944, during the bombing mission against Kassel, Germany, B-24H “Eileen” was heavily damaged when German fighters launched intense attacks against the scattered bombers of the 445th Bomb Group. Crippled by severe battle damage, the aircraft lost control and eventually crashed in Germany. As the bomber went down, the crew faced a tragic and varied fate. Some airmen successfully bailed out and survived, but were captured and spent the remainder of the war as prisoners. Others also parachuted from the aircraft but did not survive their descent or the events that followed. Two crew members remained in the aircraft and were killed when it was struck by heavy cannon fire.

SSgt Linkletter was Killed in Action and is now buried in the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial, Margraten, Eijsden-Margraten Municipality, Limburg, Netherlands.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report, weremember.abmc.gov