Queens soldier killed in war with Iran
/
Army Sergeant Angel Sarah Rampersad, an Ozone Park local, was killed in action overseas last week. Photo via the United States Army
By Ryan Schwach
A 28-year-old Queens native was among the three service members killed by an Iranian missile last week.
Army Sergeant Angel Sarah Rampersad, an Ozone Park local, was killed when a missile struck the military base where she was stationed in Jordan. She is the 18th American servicemember killed in the ongoing war with Iran.
The Queens local was killed on Friday, July 17, along with two others after an Iranian missile strike at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base.
She was initially declared missing, but the Department of Defense confirmed that she was killed in action on Tuesday.
Her remains will return to the U.S. at Dover Air Force base in Delaware on Wednesday, sources told the Eagle.
Rampersad was serving with the 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 10th Army Air & Missile Defense Command based out of Ansbach, Germany.
She worked as a signal operations support specialist maintaining battlefield communications.
“Sgt. Angel Rampersad should still be alive today, serving her country with courage and counting down the days to her flight home to Ozone Park,” Queens Borough President Donovan Richards said in a statement. “To know that she will be returning in a flag-draped casket — killed in a reckless war that Americans do not support — is heartbreaking. My thoughts are with her loved ones as they process this unimaginable loss.”
"To the Rampersad family, know that Angel will always be remembered as a hero whose legacy of bravery will forever resonate across The World's Borough,” he added.
Other officials and community groups mourned the death of a “beloved daughter of Ozone Park.”
“Sgt. Rampersad embodied the very best of the United States Army and of our country,” said Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar. “She served far from home, stood in harm’s way, and carried out her duty with honor. Her service and sacrifice will never be forgotten by Ozone Park, Queens, New York City, or a grateful nation. I stand shoulder to shoulder with her family, especially her parents, Basdeo and Carol, and with all who love her during this unimaginable loss.”
Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani also expressed their condolences to the family.
“Sgt. Rampersad's courage and sacrifice will be remembered not just in Queens, but across all five boroughs,” said Mamdani. “My deepest condolences are with her family, loved ones, and all those grieving this profound loss. For so many New Yorkers, wars overseas are never distant—they are felt here at home. The sacrifices made by service members and their families are a constant reminder of this.”
The death of Rampersad and her two fellow service members killed during Friday’s strike comes as the U.S. continues to ramp up military actions in the Middle East amid the ongoing war with Iran.
The Strait of Hormuz remains closed, and President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would continue to target bridges and power plants in Iran “any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship.”
A vigil is planned for Rampersad outside her Ozone Park home for Thursday.
