Airman From Citrus Heights Dies In Afghanistan

HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah (AP) -- Military officials say a 32-year-old airman based at Hill Air Force Base in Utah has been killed by a bomb in Afghanistan.

The Department of Defense on Friday said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Kristoffer M. Solesbee of Citrus Heights, Calif., died in Kandahar province.

The Sacramento Bee reported that Solesbee worked with bomb disposal technicians who were attached to an Army combat team and who worked to protect troops on patrol from bombs.

Solesbee was assigned to the 775th Civil Engineer Squadron at the Utah base.

Col. Patrick Higby, Hill Air Force Base commander, says Solesbee's team responded Thursday to news of a weapons cache when an improvised bomb exploded.

Higby says Solesbee had been in Afghanistan since January and was scheduled to return to the U.S. this summer.

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