Staff Sergeant Cole Condiff grew up in Richardson, Texas, in a family rooted in faith. He graduated from Sachse High School in 2008, attended Utah Valley University and served a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Spokane, Washington.
Cole enlisted in the Air Force in 2012 with one goal: to become a combat controller. He completed the two-year Special Tactics training pipeline and was assigned to the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, 24th Special Operations Wing, at Hurlburt Field, Florida. He qualified as a static-line jumpmaster, a military free-fall jumper, a combat scuba diver, an air traffic controller and a joint terminal attack controller. As a Special Tactics combat controller he was trained to deploy immediately into combat for reconnaissance, global access, precision strike and personnel recovery missions. He deployed to Africa and to Afghanistan and earned the Air Force Achievement Medal and the Air Force Commendation Medal with combat device.
His teammates remember a man who was always learning. “He was thirsty to learn every single thing he could, every single weapon system, how to be a better warrior,” one said. “He was known for his intellect, for his ability to think outside the box during training missions and real-world missions. Cole had a reputation for being hungry, loyal and trustworthy.”
On November 5, 2019, during a training mission over the Gulf of Mexico south of Hurlburt Field, Cole had an unplanned parachute departure from a C-130 aircraft. Four branches of the military, including the Air Force and the Coast Guard, searched around the clock for 17 days before the search was suspended on November 23.
On December 21, 2019, family, friends and Special Tactics Airmen gathered in Richardson for a memorial service with full military honors. A flag was presented to his wife, Rachael, a bagpiper played and his teammates performed memorial pushups in his honor. “Cole was a loving and caring father, husband, brother, uncle and son,” his father, Todd, said. “He died doing what he loved, and he loved his brothers in the Air Force.” A teammate added, “Cole definitely had the courage to be different, to stand and fight for what he believed and to find that ever-so-delicate balance of his loyalty for God, the team and his family. He made me a better man. He made us all better.” His hometown later dedicated a memorial in his honor.
Cole is survived by Rachael and their two daughters, his parents Todd and Sharsten and his siblings Aubrey and Dakota.
Cole was specially trained and equipped for immediate deployment into combat operations to conduct reconnaissance, global access, precision strike and personnel recovery.
23rd Special Tactics Squadron Tribute
Sources
- Air Force Times: ‘He made us all better.’ Family, Special Tactics airmen bid farewell to fallen combat controller (Dec. 23, 2019)
- Air Force Special Tactics: Fallen Special Tactics Airman remembered with hometown memorial
- DVIDS: Special Tactics Airman identified, recovery efforts ongoing
- Air Force Special Tactics: Honor the Fallen, SSgt Cole Condiff
- AFSOC: AFSOC releases parachute accident report
- Family-provided records on file with MVF: Cole Condiff bio
