FLYING HIGH LANCASTER GRAD OFF TO USAF ACADEMY.Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer LANCASTER - Lancaster High School Lancaster High School may refer to:
Abling, who graduated in 2003, will start July 1 at the Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, city (1990 pop. 281,140), seat of El Paso co., central Colo., on Monument and Fountain creeks, at the foot of Pikes Peak; inc. 1886. It is a year-round resort and a booming military, technological, and commercial city. , Colo., campus after spending a year at a military preparatory school preparatory school: see school. preparatory school School that prepares students for entrance to a higher school. In Europe, where secondary education has been selective, preparatory schools have been those that catered to pupils wishing to enter in Marion, Ala. ``I'm excited yet scared at the same time. I've been wanting to go there for almost all my life,'' said Abling, 18, of Lancaster. ``I've wanted to be a pilot in the Air Force. There's no better way to do that.'' After college, Abling plans to receive pilot training and ``make a career out of the Air Force.'' Abling will follow in the footsteps of his parents, both of whom served in the Air Force. His mother and father are now engineers who work for defense contractors Noun 1. defense contractor - a contractor concerned with the development and manufacture of systems of defense armed forces, armed services, military, military machine, war machine - the military forces of a nation; "their military is the largest in the region"; - she for JT3, he for Northrop Grumman Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) is an aerospace and defense conglomerate that is the result of the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company is the third largest defense contractor for the U.S. , Abling said. Abling has a brother, older by 11 months, who is a sophomore at California State University Enrollment  , Long Beach. Abling was in Lancaster High's Junior ROTC program in his junior and senior years and said it helped prepare him for the academy and military life. ``It's almost like mock military. You get an idea of what it's like to be in leadership positions,'' Abling said. Abling spent the last year at a special Air Force prep school, the Marion Military Institute, where cadets go if their SAT scores or grades are not quite high enough for the academy. ``It's a program for cadets to get extra training to enter the following year,'' Abling said. Abling said it was a good experience, and he improved his SAT score by 100 points to 1380. He also received physical training to improve his fitness. While he enjoyed his stay in Alabama, he was not fond of the weather, which was very hot and humid hu·mid adj. Containing or characterized by a high amount of water or water vapor: humid air; a humid evening. See Synonyms at wet. , Abling said. The town of Marion is very small, with a population of about 3,000. For fun, Abling said he went on his weekends off to nearby Tuscaloosa, home of the University of Alabama The University of Alabama (also known as Alabama, UA or colloquially as 'Bama) is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA. Founded in 1831, UA is the flagship campus of the University of Alabama System. , where ``they had malls.'' Abling said he will spend his first five weeks at the Air Force Academy in basic cadet training before the academic year begins in August. Karen Maeshiro, (661) 267-5744 karen.maeshiro(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Sean Abling, who prepared for his appointment at the Marion Military Institute, will attend the Air Force Academy. Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer |
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