Hill lost an Explosive Devise Ordinance technician when Tech. Sgt. Kristoffer M. Solesbee died while in the service of his country in the Shorabak district of Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.
Enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device, and Solesbee and two other services members were killed in the incident.
Solesbee was a member of the tight-knit 775th Civil Engineer Squadron at Hill. Those who served with him remembered an energetic, quick-witted intelligent sergeant who loved his job.
The Citrus Heights, Calif., man had served two tours of duty in Iraq and was on his first tour in Afghanistan.
"Kristoffer loved his job," said his mother, Sandra Parker at the memorial service. "He always had a smile on his face and he loved what he did."
"He said to me, 'Mom, this is the only job where I get to go out and blow something up and get paid for it,'" said Parker, recalling her son's enthusiasm for his work. "We will miss him, but we know he did his job well. He saved a lot of lives defusing bombs."
Solesbee joined the Air Force in 1999 and completed basic training at Lackland, AFB.
Solesbee was survived by his mother and father, his wife, Lilia, and his sister, Trina.
