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Heather Lamb in what was one of the first marriages involving an openly gay service member since President Barack Obama repealed the nearly 20-year-old "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.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.