首位公开性取向的美国同性恋女军人阵亡

Among those killed Monday when a Taliban suicide bomber attacked a patrol in southern Afghanistan was the first openly gay female U.S. soldier to die in combat.

The Pentagon identified 36-year-old Air Force Major Adrianna Vorderbruggen as one of the six troops killed in the blast.

In 2012, she married her partner Heather Lamb in what was one of the first marriages involving an openly gay service member since President Barack Obama repealed the nearly 20-year-old "Don\'t Ask, Don\'t Tell" policy.  That rule kept openly gay people from serving in the U.S. military.

The six deaths bring the number of American soldiers killed in action in Afghanistan this year to 10.  Another 10 have been killed in non-combat situations, including multiple helicopter crashes.

There are still 9,800 U.S. troops in the country as part of a mission to advise and assist Afghan troops.  The U.S.-led NATO combat mission in the country ended a year ago after 13 years and 2,349 American deaths, according to Pentagon data.

五角大楼说， 36岁的空军少校弗德布拉吉是在爆炸中阵亡的六名军人之一。

2012年，弗德布拉吉与她的同性伴侣拉姆结婚。奥巴马总统废除实行近20年的“不问不说”的政策后，她是最先结婚的美国同性恋军人之一。按照“不问不说”政策的规定，公开性取向的同性恋者不能在美国军队中服役。

算上这次阵亡的六个人，今年美军在阿富汗作战行动中的阵亡将士总人数增至10人。另外还有10名驻阿美军属于非战斗死亡，包括几起直升机坠毁。

目前仍有9800名美国军人留驻阿富汗，为阿富汗军队提供咨询和帮助。美国领导的北约联军一年前结束了在阿富汗的战斗行动。五角大楼的数据显示，共有2349名美国军人在这场历时13年的战争中死亡。