Killed US soldier was openly gay wife, mother

Adrianna Vorderbruggen, a female soldier killed in Afghanistan this week, was a symbol of how gays can now serve openly in America's armed forces -- after decades of living in the shadows.
The 36-year-old, whose life was cut short by a Taliban suicide bomber Monday, will be sorely missed by her family -- a four-year-old son and wife.
Vorderbruggen died on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," a policy which barred openly gay men and women from military service.
According to the US media, Vorderbruggen fought for the repeal by doing advocacy work.

"We honor the anniversary with somber hearts and the knowledge that families like Major Vorderbruggen's no longer serve in the shadows," the Military Partners and Family Coalition, an organization that supports LGBT service members, posted on its Facebook page.
"We can take small comfort in the fact that they will be extended the same rights and protections due any American military family as they move through this incredibly difficult period in their lives."

Vorderbruggen married her partner Heather in 2012, a little more than a year after the repeal. Together, they had a son, Jason.
"They took great pride in being members of the military community," the Military Partners and Family Coalition said.

"Major Vorderbruggen was a person who lived for her family and for her country. She was one of the most friendly and laid-back people you could ever hope to meet and was an accomplished airman, a great athlete, and most of all, a wonderful mom."
Vorderbruggen was killed alongside five other US soldiers by a motorcycle-riding Taliban suicide bomber during a joint patrol with Afghan forces near Bagram, the largest US military base in Afghanistan.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the assault, which underscored a worsening security situation a year after NATO formally ended its combat operations in Afghanistan.
It marked one of the deadliest attacks on foreign troops in Afghanistan this year.

Vorderbruggen and three others among those killed were part of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, whose members take part in the protection of US bases around the world.
The remaining two were members of the US Air National Guard.