His journey began when he had to rewrite a paper for English class as a high school senior in Reeseville, Wisconsin.
George Kohn decided to research his topic on the investigation of aircraft accidents. He wrote a letter addressed to anyone at Truax Air Force Base in Madison, Wisconsin. It landed on the desk of the base safety officer who happened to be an F-102 pilot. The pilot invited Kohn to visit the base. He picked Kohn up for a tour and returned him home the next day. Kohn, a less than stellar student, got a passing grade on his paper and completed the class.