One of six U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan by a suicide bomb attack Monday was from Minnesota. Those mourning her Tuesday said she was the first openly gay American woman killed in combat.
Air Force Maj. Adrianna M. Vorderbruggen's hometown was listed as Plymouth, according to military records. She had been living near Washington, D.C., with her wife and their 4-year-old son.
Vorderbruggen, 36, was assigned to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, 9th Field Investigations Squadron, at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. The attack, by a bomber who rammed an explosives-laden motorcycle into a joint NATO-Afghan patrol, was the deadliest on international forces there since August.
Her death was announced by the Military Partners and Families Coalition, a group for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender military families.
The coalition said Vorderbruggen and her family were part of the group nearly from its start in 2010.
"As today marks five years since the repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' was signed, we honor the anniversary with somber hearts and the knowledge that families like Major Vorderbruggen's no longer serve in the shadows," the statement said. It described Vorderbruggen as "one of the most friendly and laid-back people you could ever hope to meet."
Vorderbruggen met her wife, Air Force veteran Heather Lamb, after crossing paths in the service. Each fought to repeal the ban on gays openly serving in the military, said friend Tracey Hepner-Smith. That policy was lifted in 2011.
Hepner-Smith met Lamb while canvassing members of Congress to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and sharing anecdotes about how the law hurt service members.