Stein P. Gearhart
CW4 Stein Gearhart was born to Stan and Sherrie Gearhart at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Sept. 2, 1964. His father served in the U.S. Navy, and the family lived in numerous places during his childhood including: San Diego, Alameda, Calif., Castro Valley, Calif., and Midway Island in the Pacific. While stationed on Midway Island, his family became good friends with the pilots of a Royal Air Force Vulcan Squadron. They allowed him to play "pilot" while sitting in the cockpit on the runway, and this experience started him on a path to becoming a pilot in the U.S. military.
Stein moved to Idaho Falls following his father's retirement from the U.S. Navy in 1980. There he fell in love with Idaho's wonderful scenery and the many outdoor activities it offers. He graduated from Skyline High School in 1982.
After graduation, he attended the University of Nevada-Reno. This is where he met the love of his life, Victoria Pyle. After his freshman year, he returned to Idaho, where he attended Boise State University, earning a scholarship to play tennis. The two-time Academic All-American graduated in 1986 with a bachelor's degree in political science.
Following Stein's graduation from college he continued his pursuit of becoming a military pilot and was accepted into the U.S. Marine Corps aviation program. He attended Officer Candidate School at Quantico, Va., in 1987. Upon graduation, he married Vickie in her home town of Carson City, Nev., on Dec. 19 of that year. Stein then completed the Marine Officer Basic Course and reported to Naval Flight School in Pensacola, Fla., where his first son, Sagen, was born. After earning his wings, the young family was briefly stationed at Camp Pendleton, Calif., and was then transferred to Camp Lejeune's New River Air Station in Jacksonville, N.C. in 1990. There, he Flew UH1-N Huey gunships. His son, Logan, was born here in 1991. Shortly before Logan's first birthday, Stien completed a six month tour of duty on the USS Guam in support of NATO operations in the former Yugoslavia. Stein left active duty Marine Corps service in 1994 and returned to Idaho with Victoria and two young sons.
His decision to return to Idaho as a civilian was driven by a desire to raise his family in this great state with all of the tremendous opportunities, it affords to living an outdoor lifestyle; a lifestyle that he had been passionate about his whole life and wanted to impart upon his family. There, he found employment in a management position at Shopko regional distribution center. His desire to continue his military service and return to aviation led him to transition into the Idaho Army National Guard as a captain, where he began flying the AH-64 Apache airframe. Stein made the decision to become a chief warrant officer out of his love for flying. This decision allowed him to remain in the cockpit, amassing vast flight hours and experience. Stein proudly served his country during Operation Enduring Freedom, becoming a decorated combat pilot in Afghanistan. He was excited to take on the position of federal instructor pilot and to be able to fly full time, giving him the opportunity to both do the job he loved and pass on his knowledge and passion to many future aviators. However, Stien's deepest passion was being a father and a husband. He wanted nothing more than to make memories with his family and was truly happiest in their presence. Few people are lucky enough to have both the career of their dreams and a family which is so complete in their love.
