- Date Of Birth: September 2, 1964
- Date Of Death: November 6, 2014
- State: Idaho
CW4 Stien Gearhart was born to Stan and Sherrie Gearhart at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 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, Castro Valley California, 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 US military.
Stien moved to Idaho Falls, ID following his father’s retirement from the 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 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 Bachelors degree in Political Science.
Following Stien’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, Virginia in 1987. Upon graduation he married Vickie in her home town of Carson City, Nevada on December 19 of that year. Stien then completed the Marine Officer Basic Course and reported to Naval Flight School in Pensacola, Florida, where his first son Sagen was born. After earning his wings, the young family was briefly stationed at Camp Pendleton, CA, and was then transferred to Camp Lejeune’s New River Air Station, Jacksonville, NC 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.
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.
Stien is survived by his wife Victoria Gearhart, sons 1st Lieutenant Sagen and 2nd Lieutenant Logan Gearhart, parents Stan and Sherrie Gearhart, brother Stace Gearhart and Sister in Law Carisa Gearhart.
