Nolan Gorman has been one of the leaders of the Redmond MROTC program.

When Nolan Gorman was 4 years old, his parents took him to the Madras Air Show. Nolan was mesmerized by the airplanes and the cheering crowds. When a jet roared past, he saw his life come into focus. He wanted to learn to fly.

Now 18 and a senior at Redmond High School, Nolan never lost his childhood fascination with flight. He has spent years making paper airplanes, building and flying remote-controlled ones, and hours on flight simulator computer games, or sitting in the co-pilot seat in a Cessna. He joined the Redmond High JROTC. He learned all 226 countries, their capitals, and all of their bordering countries.

The military preparation (and map memorization) was part of Nolan’s plan to join the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he hoped to become a pilot and serve his country.

“That has always been the ultimate goal,” said Nolan. “It was the perfect combination of the two things I’ve wanted to do my whole life.”

Always thinking of flying

Nolan’s parents, Andrea and Kyle Gorman, said their son has had a focus on flying since that first trip to the air show. Kyle Gorman said when he bought Nolan empty notebooks, Nolan would fill each one, cover-to-cover, with drawings of airplanes.

When he was about 10, his parents bought him a remote-controlled hobby plane as way to feed his budding interest.

“Everyone crashes their first one,” said Kyle. “That’s what we were all expecting.”

But when the Gormans drove out to Crooked River Ranch so Nolan to take the controls for the first time, they were shocked to watch him take off, fly and land without leaving as much as a dent on his new toy.

“It just came so natural to him,” said Kyle. “You could tell he thought about (flying) all the time.”

A few years later, Nolan walked through the doors of Redmond High. As a freshman, he already had his career mapped out. The first step was joining the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps to learn the discipline and character required to be a military officer.

Applying and acceptance

Gorman’s goal throughout high school was to make himself a prime candidate for the Air Force Academy. He worked to keep his grades up, excelled in JROTC and took on other leadership and community service activities. He volunteered with the Flag City USA group, helping place and then restock the American flags that decorate downtown Redmond on patriotic holidays.

He knew, too, that a nomination from a sitting congressperson would improve his chances to be accepted into the Air Force Academy, which turns down more than 80 percent of applicants. He prepped his pitch and worked on his delivery, his handshake and his eye contact before traveling to U.S. Rep. Lori-Chavez DeRemer’s office in Oregon City. He made his presentation to staff there, impressing them with his knowledge, confidence and desire to serve.

He secured Rep. DeRemer’s sought-after “principal choice” recommendation, which is only given to one applicant in each congressional district.

“Nolan was a truly impressive and well-qualified candidate,” said Chavez-DeRemer. “Calling these students and telling them they will be nominated to a service academy is one of the best parts of this job, and my call with Nolan stands out as one of my favorites.”

With Chavez-DeRemer’s recommendation in his pocket, Gorman sent off his the application and waited nervously for a response. Soon, he got it. In the mail, a thick leather-bound package arrived from the Air Force Academy. Gorman’s heart leapt. The letter began with “Congratulations …”

“I was ecstatic,” said Gorman. “I felt like I was on top of the world.”

There was, however, a small asterisk on the letter that he didn’t notice at first. His acceptance into the academy was contingent on a thorough medical review.

Peanuts were about to disrupt Gorman’s life.

A health issue

It wasn’t just airplanes that dominated Nolan’s life from a young age.

The same year he went to the Madras Air Show for the first time, he had a severe allergic reaction after eating a nut. Almonds were ok, but he soon learned that nearly every other nut caused serious problems for him — especially peanuts. Nolan has had to avoid them entirely.

“He is very, very careful about avoiding them,” said Kyle Gorman. “He takes it very seriously.”

A few times in his life, peanuts made it through those defenses. His worst experience came as a teen, when after a shift as a lifeguard he ate two cookies that included peanuts. In the hours that followed, Nolan’s body turned red and his airway swelled. He started to drool. He struggled to breathe. His family first took him to urgent care and then to the emergency room. Multiple doses of Benadryl had little effect, and multiple shots of epinephrine made little difference at first.

“The room got full of doctors really, really fast,” recalled Nolan’s mother, Andrea.

Eventually, the medicine kicked in and Nolan started to regain his breath. He said it was scary. Since then he has become extra careful about encountering nuts of any kind and has gone a couple of years without an incident.

Acceptance reversed

About a week after Nolan Gorman received that acceptance letter in the mail, he was sitting in class at Redmond High School when he received an email. It stated that Gorman’s acceptance to the Air Force Academy had been rescinded. His severe nut allergy disqualified him from military service. The Accession Medical Waiver Division said no waiver would be forthcoming.

His life plan fell straight out of the sky. Through tears he read it one more time, then called his mom.

“You could just hear in his voice he was devastated,” said Andrea Gorman. “He was crying, he was sobbing. I was worried about him.”

She called the school and told principal Audrey Haugan that Nolan was in distress. Haugan knew Nolan well, since he made the morning announcements every day from the main office. She — like almost everyone else at Redmond High — knew Nolan’s life was focused solely on the Air Force.

“I found him, helped him go over the email and read it carefully,” said Haugan. “It was hard for him to deal with.”

They talked through the disappointing news, but Haugan worked to keep Nolan focused on possibilities still in front of him.

“We talk a lot about resiliency and making the most about our opportunities … being adaptable,” said Haugan. “Nolan is excellent at that. I have absolutely no doubt that he’s going to be successful and find a new way.”

Military motto

Lori Chavez De-Remer said she was disappointed to hear that Nolan Gorman would not attend the Air Force Academy.

“It was easy to tell he has a true passion for service and is an intelligent, natural-born leader,” she said. “While I’m disappointed that he won’t be able to serve … I’m confident that he will go on to accomplish great things. His dedication and work ethic will continue to serve as inspiration for those around him.”

Dean Miller, chief of media operations at the U.S. Air Force Academy, said he was not able to address the status of any individual applicant, but he did explain the general application and process for a medical waiver.

Miller noted that “all candidates admitted to the United States Air Force Academy must meet medical and weight standards … applicants who do not meet these standards will be disqualified unless a medical waiver is approved.”

Miller noted that all applicants considered for a waiver “must have displayed sufficient mitigating circumstances and/or provide medical documentation that clearly justifies waiver consideration.” No such waiver was granted Nolan Gorman.

According to the Air Force, “food allergies resulting in systemic symptoms remain disqualifying for entry into military service.”

From their perspective, hundreds of cadets might roll through a mess hall in mere minutes. It’s not possible to keep them all clear of every conceivable food allergy. On military bases or in war zones across the world, it could be even more difficult to ensure a peanut-free environment.

Andrea Gorman said she understands the safety concern, but she knows her son would be an excellent airman.

“I hate to put him in danger over a food allergy, but to look at the person they are disqualifying … it’s truly tragic,” she said.

A new future

Nolan Gorman felt the tragedy of it for a few weeks. But the more he thought about it, he could visualize a new path forward.

And yes, that future still involves flying.

Nolan quickly filled out a federal financial aid application, then started looking for scholarships. His plan now is to attend Central Oregon Community College as a way to prepare for flight school. He then hopes to attend Leading Edge Flight Academy in Redmond and get his pilot’s license. From there, he’d like to work his way to bigger and bigger jets. Maybe fly for FedEx eventually.

His ultimate goal, though, is even bigger. He wants to be President of the United States.

“It’s a new path,” he said.