New: GoFund Me for airman family

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. - Almost 24 hours after an Airman from the 24th Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field is still missing Nov. 6 in the Gulf of Mexico after falling from a C-130 about four miles south of Hurlburt Field during a jump-training exercise. The Coast Guard told WEAR-TV/Pensacola on Nov. 5 a Staff Sergeant, who has not been identified, was training when he fell from the C-130 about 1,500 feet over the GoM. The CG, Air Force and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are searching for the service member south of Destin. Units involved in the search are from the 1st and 24th Special Operations Wings at Hurlburt; an HC-144 and MH-60 from CG Aviation Training Center Mobile, Ala.; two CG Station Destin Response Boats; 86th Test Wing at Eglin AFB; Army 7th Special Forces Group from Duke Field; Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office; and Florida Fish and Wildlife. The CG is asking for anyone who may have seen something around the time the airman went missing Tuesday around 1:30 p.m. to call CG Station Destin’s Command Center at (850) 244-7147. (Sources: WEAR, WKRG 11/06/19) https://weartv.com/news/local/coast-guard-airman-falls-1500-feet-during-training-jump-search-continues UPDATE: Search continues Nov. 8. Reserve rescue airmen, two HH-60G Pave Hawks, and one HC-130 Combat King from the 920th Rescue Wing at Patrick AFB, Fla., joined in the search. UPDATE2: The Air Force Special Operations Command is changing its search for a missing special tactics airman into a mission of recovery. The airman has been identified as SSgt. Cole Condiff, 29, a special tactics combat controller with AFSOC's 24th Special Operations Wing, the wing said Nov. 9. The Texas native served in the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron. “Cole was a man with deep-rooted beliefs who dedicated himself to God, our freedoms, peace, and his family. He was a devoted family man within our squadron, focused on teaching his girls to be adventurous like he was,” Lt. Col. Steven Cooper, 23rd STS commander, said in a Nov. 9 release. He was a "static line jump-master, military free-fall jumper, combat scuba diver, air traffic controller, and a joint terminal attack controller" who deployed to Africa and Afghanistan and received two Air Force medals, according to the Air Force. He is survived by his wife, two daughters, parents, sister, and two brothers. (Source: AF Magazine 11/10/19) UPDATE3/NEW: A specialized Navy team is searching the Gulf of Mexico near here in an effort to recover any remains or personal effects of Air Force Staff Sgt. Cole Condiff, a Special Tactics airman who on Nov. 5 fell from a C-130 combat aircraft during a parachute training mission. In the meantime, a GoFundMe effort aimed at helping to support Condiff’s wife and young daughters has expanded its goal to $200,000, after surpassing its initial $100,000 goal. Navy personnel continue to search for Condiff, who is missing and presumed deceased. In a sign of community support for those involved in the search, an effort is underway to prompt local restaurants to feed those Navy personnel who are using Hurlburt Field as a base for their ongoing recovery operations. Condiff was serving as jumpmaster aboard the C-130 on Nov. 5 when his parachute deployed and departed the aircraft. According to Condiff’s father, who has praised the AF for their openness, the younger Condiff was performing safety checks on other airmen when his parachute deployed about two (2) miles south of Hurlburt Field. The initial search covered 700 square miles, extending 30 miles into the Gulf from Destin to Pensacola. (Source: News Herald 11/17/19) https://www.newsherald.com/news/20191117/navy-searching-near-hurlburt-for-missing-airman