Air Force Logo – Silver/Blue Chrome
By Kent Bingham
The following statement can be attributed to Ariana Bostian-Kentes President & Co-founder Military Partners and Families Coalition (MPFC):
“We lost a member of our military family yesterday. Our friend, Air Force Major Adrianna Vorderbruggen, was killed while serving in Afghanistan. All military families understand that part of serving means the potential of sending their loved one into harms way, but no amount of understanding can reduce the pain of loss when they do not return. Major Vorderbruggen leaves behind her wife, Heather, and four year-old son, Jacob. As we try to find comfort in our community during this time we also extend our love and compassion to the five other U.S. military families who lost a loved one yesterday.
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. She leaves an indelible legacy of strength and selflessness to all those touched by her life. [pullquote]As today marks five years since the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was signed, we honor the anniversary with somber hearts and the knowledge that families like Major Vorderbruggen’s no longer serve in the shadows. 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.[/pullquote]
As today marks five years since the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was signed, we honor the anniversary with somber hearts and the knowledge that families like Major Vorderbruggen’s no longer serve in the shadows. 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.
Adrianna, Heather, and Jacob were part of our MPFC family nearly from the start and took great pride in being members of the military community. When their marriage was finally legally recognized, they celebrated by signing up Heather and Jacob as Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) dependents, taking a shopping trip to the commissary with the dependent ID card, and scheduling their first doctor’s appointment on base for Jacob.
This family is the reason that the anniversary of repeal matters. The upswell in support and prayers offered by military families everywhere to Major Vorderbruggen’s is unique to those who know what it means to serve. This is what community is about and this is why your MPFC family is unfailingly here for you.”
Military Partners and Families Coalition (MPFC) is a leading national organization providing support, resources, education, and advocacy for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender military families. Founded in 2011 by a group of spouses and partners of active duty U.S. Armed Forces service members stationed in the U.S. and overseas, MPFC is a non-profit, non-partisan organization based in Washington, D.C. For more information, go to www.milpfc.org or www.facebook.com/milpfc.
[From a News Release]
