U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Christopher Frost, 24, with the 377th Air Base Wing at Kirtland Air Force Base, was killed Monday when an Iraqi Mi-17 helicopter crashed in a dust storm, the base announced today in a news release.

Frost, who had been stationed at Kirtland since July 2005 and had been in the Air Force for six years, was the Albuquerque base's first casualty in Operation Iraqi Freedom, the release said.

Frost, who worked in Kirtland's Public Affairs Office, had been deployed in Iraq since the end of September in support of the Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq, which is helping organize, train, equip and sustain Iraqi Security Forces, including the Iraqi Air Force, according to the release.

Seven members of the Iraqi Air Force also were on board the helicopter when it crashed Monday, and none survived.

The cause of the crash is under investigation, the release said.

A memorial service for Frost is being planned at Kirtland AFB at a later date. 

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