Condors launch jersey raffle to aid Edwards Air Force Base families

The Bakersfield Condors turned a game-night uniform into a lifeline for families still absorbing the loss of eight people killed in the Edwards Air Force Base B-52 crash. Their Authentic Patriotic Night jersey raffle, launched June 18, runs through Friday, June 26, and sends every dollar to the Fallen Wings Foundation for the victims’ families.

The setup is simple and built to reach far beyond Bakersfield. Fans can enter through four contribution levels, 1 for $5, 3 for $10, 20 for $50, or 50 for $100, and anyone anywhere can win. The Condors said shipping is available to the United States and Canada, which turns a local tribute item into a fundraiser with a wider pool of support. The jersey itself is a Condors Patriotic sweater, making it both a collectible and a memorial piece tied to one of the most painful stories to hit the Antelope Valley and Kern County communities this month.

The crash that prompted the raffle happened shortly after takeoff on Monday, June 15, during a routine test mission at Edwards. Edwards Air Force Base released the names of the eight victims on June 17, after the 24-hour waiting period following next-of-kin notifications, and said the airfield is closed until further notice while an Interim Safety Investigation Board continues its work. Col. Thomas Tauer, commander of the 412th Test Wing, called the victims “dedicated professionals, beloved family members and irreplaceable teammates.”

Those killed were Col. Gregory Watson, Lt. Col. Gabriel Estrella, retired Lt. Col. Miles Middleton, Maj. Alexander Davis, Maj. Robert Dee, Maj. Brad Hovey, Jeromy Smith and Christopher Rischar. The group included active-duty Air Force personnel, a Boeing employee, a retired lieutenant colonel and a JT4 contractor, a reminder that the loss reached across the base’s test and contractor network rather than one unit alone.

The Condors Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) created by the Bakersfield Condors to host fundraising events for the community, gave the team a ready vehicle to move quickly from sympathy to action. The raffle does that work in a direct way: it uses one of the franchise’s most visible assets, a special jersey, to channel fan attention into cash for the families most affected by the tragedy. In a week when Edwards also held a candlelight vigil for the eight crew members, the Condors’ fundraiser stood out for one reason: it offered a clear, immediate path from hockey fandom to help.