Ira Bontrager was born in 1920 and spent most of his early years in Reno Co, Kansas. He was in the Navy during WW 2, attending Para-trooper school and becoming a parachute packer/rigger. He spent most of his service time around the Panama Canal and the Galapagos Islands. Bontrager had three brothers in the service at the same time. His brother, David Bontrager speaks about his service briefly at the end of his interview. Ira Bontrager returned home safely and became a carpenter for Hutchinson schools and later the Hutchinson Community College.