6 US Service Members Killed in Afghanistan Attack Identified

The identities of the six U.S. service members killed in an attack Monday in Afghanistan by a suicide bomber have been revealed, Reuters reported. Among those killed was Air Force Maj. Adrianna Vorderbruggen, who became the "first openly gay female active-duty service member" to be killed in action, according to the Daily Beast.

Vorderbruggen married Heather Lamb in 2012, a year after the repeal of the U.S. military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy regarding gay service members. 

Following the news of Vorderbruggen's death, nonprofit organization Military Partners and Families Coalition, an advocacy group for "partners and children of LGBT service members," shared a message on Facebook that read in part, "Our friend Air Force Major Adrianna Vorderbruggen was killed in Afghanistan yesterday ... We do find comfort in knowing that Heather and Jacob are no longer in the shadows and will be extended the rights and protections due any American military family as they move through this incredibly difficult period in their lives."

NYPD Det. Joseph Lemm, who was a volunteer with the U.S. Air National Guard and was in Afghanistan on his third deployment, was also killed, Reuters reported.

"Detective Lemm was a 15-year veteran of the NYPD ... Detective Lemm leaves behind a wife and two children. Tonight, we grieve and we remember this selfless public servant who dedicated his life to protecting others," New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton said, according to CNN.

The four other U.S. service members killed in Monday's attack were identified as serviceman Chester McBride Jr., serviceman Michael Anthony Cinco and Staff Sgts. Peter Taub and Louis Bonacasa, according to Reuters.

Monday's bombing marked the deadliest attack on U.S. military forces in 2015, according to Reuters. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack through a Twitter post, NBC News reported.