Adrianna Vorderbruggen grew up in Plymouth, Minnesota where she attended Wayzata High School. Following high school, she attended the Air Force Academy as part of the class of 2002 and a member of cadet squadron 2. While at the academy, Adrianna was co-captain of the 2002 Division I championship women’s rugby team. She graduated that same year and commissioned as a second lieutenant.

Adrianna completed training at the Air Force Special Investigations Academy at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Brunswick, Georgia in 2003. She then became a counterintelligence program manager with OSI Detachment 802 based at then-Patrick Air Force Base, Florida. With this unit, she deployed to Iraq. Adrianna played a vital role in capturing one of the key men associated with Saddam Hussein’s son, who killed U.S. and Iraqi military personnel.

In 2005, Adrianna transferred to McChord Air Force Base, in Tacoma, Washington, now known as Joint Base Lewis-McChord, as an operations officer. In the same year, Adrianna met her future wife, Heather Lamb.

In 2007, Adrianna became commander of OSI Detachment 225, Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. Two years later, Adrianna went to study at George Washington University. She earned a master’s degree in forensic science. In 2010, she became a forensic science consultant for the Northeastern region of the United States.

In 2013, Adrianna became an operations officer with the 9th Field Investigations Squadron based in Hurlburt Field, Florida. In 2015, she deployed to Afghanistan, as commander of OSI Expeditionary Detachment 2405 at Bagram Air Base. On Dec. 21, 2015, Adrianna was leading a security foot patrol near Bagram Air Base, when a suicide motorcycle bomber killed her and five other Airmen. 

Adrianna served in the military for 13 years and rose to the rank of major. She was 36 years old. Adrianna posthumously received a Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart and Air Force Combat Action Medal.

She was predeceased by her mother, Shareene Kay Adrianna. She was survived by her father; three brothers; her wife, a USAF veteran whom she married in 2012, and their four year old son.

Here’s a toast.

$10 from every bracelet sold will go to a charity chosen by Adrianna’s Gold Star family.