Captain Abel was a veteran of World War II flying 20 combat missions. During the Korean War, he was a pilot of a B-29 Superfortress bomber with the 9306th Air Reserve Training Squadron. On 9 November 1951, he was flying a B-29 in the vicinity of San Antonio, Texas. The aircraft lost power and was about to crash. While remaining at the controls to avoid striking U.S. Highway 90 west of San Antonio, he ordered his crew to parachute to safety.

Abel was awarded the National Defense Service Medal and the World War II Victory Medal.