Early Life
Kohntopp was born in Buhl, Idaho (U.S.), the eldest of the four sons of Dean and Carolyn Kohntopp. Living on a farm, he was involved as a boy in raising cattle, working bean fields, and digging irrigation ditches. During his childhood and adolescence Kohntopp hunted and fished frequently, and was involved with 4-H and Scouting. At age 14, he achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America.
On one occasion in high school around 1980, Kohntopp was riding motorcycles with friends in the Owyhee Mountains in southwest Idaho when they stopped to take a break. At that moment, two F-111s from Mountain Home Air Force Base flew by below them, only 100 feet (30 m) above the ground. Kohntopp later said of that moment, "That was when I knew I wanted to fly." Shortly thereafter, he had the opportunity to ride in a cropdusting helicopter during efforts to fight a severe infestation of "crop-destroying" grasshoppers that infested his family farm.
Kohntopp entered the University of Idaho in 1981. While at the university he was active in the FarmHouse fraternity. During this time he traveled with his grandmother to visit distant relatives in Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and Hungary. Of that trip, Kohntopp said, "What amazed us most was what we take for granted in the United States was mostly a luxury for these people. After that experience I knew I wanted to help protect our country's freedoms. The best way I felt to do this was to join the military." He applied for and was accepted into the university's Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps program. Kohntopp graduated in 1985 with a degree in computer science engineering.
Read more about this topic: Gus Kohntopp
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