One year before falling from an aircraft during an Air Force training accident, Staff Sgt. Cole Condiff participated in a heartwarming surprise return at the 2018 All-Star Game.
Condiff was identified as the airman who had fallen from a C-130 during a static line training mission above the Gulf of Mexico. The Air Force reported an airman had fallen during a training accident on Nov. 5. On Friday, they announced that the mission to find Condiff had been reclassified from a search and rescue to a recovery mission.
Condiff had been with the Air Force since 2012, including two overseas deployments to Africa and Afghanistan. In 2018, he surprised his wife Rachael, his daughter Charley, and his sister Aubrey Lion at the All-Star Game when he returned from a six-month deployment related to Operation Enduring Freedom.
.@GEICO and MLB created a special moment tonight, reuniting Air Force Special Tactics Operator, Staff Sergent Cole Condiff, with his family. #SeatsforService pic.twitter.com/An4hNnw8ES
— MLB (@MLB) July 18, 2018
Prior to the surprise, Condiff met Nationals pitcher Sean Doolittle, who thanked him for his service. Condiff explained that he didn’t do anything special for his family when he returned from his first deployment and hoped his Major League surprise would be a fun moment for his family.
When the time for the surprise came, the stadium aired a video of a bearded Condiff wishing his daughter a happy birthday, as he was scheduled to miss the big day.
“I’d just like to take this opportunity to say hello to my wife and my daughter. Rachael, I’m so excited to see you in a couple weeks, and Charley, happy birthday. I’m sorry that I’m missing your third birthday,” Condiff said in his recorded greeting.
Shortly after, the announcer welcomed a clean-shaven Condiff to the ballpark where he embraced them both after a half-year apart, just four days before his daughter’s birthday.
While deployed, Condiff had only been able to speak with his wife in rare moments when he had a strong Wi-Fi signal.
“We have some spotty Wi-Fi. Depending on how well the Wi-Fi is working I can text her and whatnot, but that’s about it,” Condiff told Yahoo Sports before the surprise.
At the time, Rachael was pregnant with their second child.
“My wife does a lot back home,” Condiff explained. “She’s taking care of my daughter, getting ready to have another kid. All that by herself is phenomenal … Without my family everything would be so much harder.”
Following the training accident, Steven Cooper, a commander of Condiff’s training mission, called the situation “tragic” and noted that Condiff was a “family man.”
“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,” Cooper said, adding, “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and teammates at this time.”
On Saturday, the Air Force said the mission to recover Condiff is still underway.
