Department of Defense officials confirmed to The Daily Beast that the U.S. military’s first openly gay female active-duty service member was killed in action. According to officials, SAF Major Adrianna Vorderbruggen was killed in Afghanistan on Monday, making her the first openly gay female Air Force officer killed in action since the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” provisions allowed openly homosexual people to serve. The repeal was enacted five years ago today. At least two members of the National Guard who were openly gay women have been killed in action, and an untold number of service members who were open to their friends, but not the military, also have been killed. Vorderbruggen was one of six U.S. troops killed when a suicide bomber on a motorcycle attacked while they were on patrol in eastern Afghanistan.

—Nancy A. Youssef