Special Tactics airman dies in swim training incident

An airman was found unresponsive Thursday afternoon after going missing during surface swim training at Naval Support Activity Panama City, Florida.

The airman, a Special Tactics combat controller, went missing just after 11 a.m., the Air Force said in a media release. The training area where the incident occurred has a maximum depth of 20 feet.

Search and rescue efforts were made by personnel from the U.S. Coast Guard Station Panama City, Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center, and the Bay County Sheriff’s Office.

The body was recovered at approximately 4:30 pm.

The airman was assigned to the 24th Special Operations Wing out of Hurlburt Field, Florida, and was part of a detachment training in the Air Force Combat Dive Course. The Air Education and Training Command’s Special Warfare Training Wing, out of Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, oversees the course, the service said.

“The Air Force is actively investigating the circumstances surrounding this incident,” the Air Force said in a release. “To protect the integrity of the investigation, no additional details will be released until further notice.”

Per DoD policy, the name of the airman will not be released until next-of-kin are notified.

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