Whakaotihia te rerenga e whai ake nei: He tau 1912 i puta mai i te United States Military Academy, i mahi a Gorrell i nga tau e rua i roto i nga hoia i mua i te tuku mo te tohatoha mo te tohatoha ki te Wahanga Aviation, Signal Corps, i reira ia i riro ai hei hoia rererangi i te tau 1915. Ko tana mahi rererangi anake ko te 1st Aero Squadron, te wae rererangi tuatahi o te ope taua, i haere tahi ia ki Mexico hei waahanga o te
He haerenga whiu. Ko nga ngoikoretanga i roto i te rererangi hoia a Amerika i whakaatuhia i te wa o te pakanga i arahi ki te tohatoha a Gorrell ki MIT, i reira i whiwhi ai ia i tetahi tohu matatau i roto i te hangarau rererangi. Na tana tohungatanga hangarau i uru atu ai ia ki te Bolling Mission i nga marama tuatahi o te whakauru a te US ki te Pakanga Tuatahi o te Ao, whai muri i nga mahi kaimahi me te American Expeditionary Force. I tere ake tana eke ki te taumata hei kaipuke rererangi i te wa o te pakanga mai i te rangatira tuatahi ki te koromatua i waenga o Hurae 1916 me Oketopa 1918.