Air Force OSI Agent Now Serving 30 Years | The Robert Condon Story

In this moving episode of the Stories of Service podcast, host Theresa Carpenter welcomes Holly Yeager, a retired law enforcement officer and mother of Robert Condon, a former Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI) agent who is now serving a 30-year military prison sentence.

Theresa begins with compassion and transparency, warning listeners that the conversation will include difficult topics such as sexual crime accusations. The aim of the episode is not only to tell a painful story, but also to explore the importance of truth, fairness, and due process — especially within the military justice system.


GUEST BIO: WHO HOLLY YEAGER?

Holly Yeager devoted three decades of her life to law enforcement. She began her career with the Toledo Police Department, where she spent her first 10 years in a clerical position before graduating from the police academy in 1985. From there, she served 20 years as a street patrol officer, gaining firsthand experience in investigations, evidence handling, and the judicial process.

That background makes Holly’s current battle even more complex. She is not just the mother of a convicted man — she is a trained law enforcement professional who believes that her son’s case reveals deep flaws in how the military justice system operates.

Holly’s son, Robert Condon, was once a model servicemember — a man who dreamed from childhood of wearing the uniform and living up to his family’s military legacy. Now, Holly is fighting to share his story and expose what she describes as a failure of due process that destroyed his life.


The Rise of a Decorated Agent

Robert Condon was born in 1984 in Toledo, Ohio, the eldest of Holly’s children and the only son. Growing up in a proud military family, Robert was inspired by generations of service: his father was a Green Beret during Vietnam, his great-grandfather lost part of his leg at the Battle of the Bulge, and his grandfather served in Korea.

From childhood, Robert was full of energy and imagination — dressing up as superheroes, Ghostbusters, and soldiers for Halloween. Those childhood dreams soon became a reality when he joined the U.S. Air Force in 2003.

Although he initially hoped to become a pararescueman, swimming challenges redirected him into Security Forces, where he quickly found purpose. Both of his parents’ backgrounds in law enforcement made this career path feel natural. Later, Robert trained at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Georgia and became a Special Agent with the Air Force OSI, specializing in counterintelligence.

During his decade of service, Robert deployed six times to global hotspots, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa, and Jordan. His dedication earned him multiple awards and even a personal handwritten note from Air Force General Mark Welsh, thanking him for his exceptional service. One of his commendations credited him with helping capture 78 Taliban fighters.

By every measure, Robert was an accomplished, decorated agent. But everything changed in 2013, when an allegation turned his world upside down.


The Accusations

In 2013, while stationed at Hurlburt Field, Florida, Robert’s superiors advised him to stay stateside to improve his promotion prospects. Taking that advice, he began investigating drug activity on base, uncovering a network of nine Airmen involved in drug distribution.

Shortly afterward, two women with whom he had personal relationships — both connected to the Air Force — accused him of sexual misconduct.

  • The first, referred to as “A,” was a fellow OSI agent and former romantic partner.

  • The second, “M,” met Robert through Craigslist and was active duty Air Force, training to become an air traffic controller.

Holly explains that the relationships were consensual, with text messages and records showing mutual communication and planned outings. Yet, when M later filed a restricted sexual assault report, and then converted it to unrestricted, a full-scale OSI investigation began — one that Holly describes as deeply flawed and coercive.


A Flawed Investigation

According to Holly, from the moment Robert was accused, basic rights were compromised.

He was arrested and moved between multiple facilities, each time several hours away from his defense attorneys, making it nearly impossible to prepare his case. At one point, he was detained at the Santa Rosa County Jail, where conditions were poor and communication with counsel was severely restricted.

The investigative process, Holly says, would have been unacceptable in civilian law enforcement. As she puts it:

“In Toledo, you would never arrest someone and then ship them five hours away from their lawyer. That’s just not how justice works.”

Medical and forensic evidence also raised questions. The Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) found no physical injuries consistent with the allegations, despite claims of extreme violence. Subdermal imaging, DNA swabs, and wood’s lamp examinations revealed no trauma or blood evidence.

Additionally, messages deleted by one of the accusers and inconsistencies among witness statements further muddied the case. Despite these irregularities, Robert was court-martialed and convicted in 2014 on charges of sexual assault, stalking, and obstruction of justice.


The Human Cost

For Holly, the ordeal has been heartbreaking. Watching her son — once a hero and protector — be portrayed as a criminal has tested her faith in the system she served for 30 years.

She describes the process as a painful education in the differences between civilian and military justice. In her view, the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) often allows for unequal treatment, limited access to evidence, and command influence over outcomes.

“The men and women defending our country deserve the same protections of due process that civilians get,” Holly insists. “Instead, they’re often denied even the basic fairness that our Constitution promises.”

Her fight is ongoing. Holly now advocates for transparency, reform, and better safeguards in the military justice system to prevent similar miscarriages of justice.


LISTEN HERE

WATCH FULL EPISODE HERE


Key Takeaways

  1. 🎖️ Service Doesn’t Protect You from the System
    Robert Condon’s case is a sobering reminder that even decorated heroes can become vulnerable to flawed investigations and command pressure.

  2. ⚖️ Due Process Is Non-Negotiable
    Every person — civilian or servicemember — deserves access to a fair defense, evidence review, and consistent judicial standards.

  3. 💬 Military vs. Civilian Law
    The UCMJ operates under its own rules, often limiting the rights afforded in civilian courts. Understanding this difference is crucial for reform.

  4. 🧠 The Role of Bias and Perception
    High-profile accusations can create pressure to “prove the system works,” sometimes at the expense of truth.

  5. ❤️ The Power of a Mother’s Voice
    Holly’s love for her son and her unwavering commitment to justice show that courage doesn’t end with a badge or a uniform. It continues in the fight for what’s right.


Closing Thoughts

Theresa Carpenter’s Stories of Service podcast continues to highlight ordinary people doing extraordinary work, often in the face of pain and controversy.

Holly Yeager’s story is about more than her son — it’s about the cost of flawed justice, the resilience of families, and the courage to speak when silence feels safer.

As the episode closes, listeners are left reflecting on one core truth: the pursuit of justice is not always straightforward, but voices like Holly’s remind us why it must continue — no matter how hard the road.


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