Queens, NY Soldier Killed In Iranian Attack In Jordan Was Born In Trinidad
By Staff Writer, NewsAmericas Now
News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Thurs. July 23, 2026: U.S. Army Sgt. Angel Sarah Rampersad, who was killed in action on July 17 during an Iranian ballistic missile and drone attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, was an immigrant from Trinidad and Tobago.
Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, Queens, was reportedly killed during an Iranian ballistic missile and drone attack on the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, according to the Department of War. She was born in Trinidad and Tobago and moved to New York at age 5 with her mother, an American citizen, and an older sister. Her Trinidad-born father remained in Trinidad.
She grew up in Ozone Park, NY, and taught herself to play drums, sang in her church choir, and ran track and played softball at Forest Hills High School. An uncle who served in the military inspired her toward the Army, though her mother, Carol Acevedo, initially asked her to attend college first. Rampersad enrolled at CUNY’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice before enlisting at 21, around 2019, and re-enlisted last year. Her awards included the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.
Remembered in Ozone Park
Members of a US Army carry team transports a flag-draped transfer case containing the remains of US Army Sergeant Angel S. Rampersad during a dignified transfer solemn event at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware, US, on Wednesday, July 22, 2026. The US and Iran signaled they aren’t ready to return to the negotiating table after both countries escalated attacks deep into a second week of renewed fighting. Photographer: Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images
An American flag now flies at half-staff outside her family’s home in Queens, NY. Rampersad was one of four American service members killed in the attack, alongside Army 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Hawaii, and Army Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Texas. A fourth soldier, Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton of North Carolina, died separately while attempting to disarm a downed Iranian drone in Iraq. Their deaths bring the total number of American service members killed since the war with Iran escalated to 18.
Sgt. Rampersad was assigned to 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 10th Army Air & Missile Defense Command, Ansbach, Germany.
The government of Trinidad and Tobago said Rampersad’s heritage gave her death “a particular resonance” for the nation, extending sympathies to her family, fellow service members and all those whose lives she touched.
In a statement released by her family, Rampersad was remembered as “a gentle giant” who “stood up for those who couldn’t fight for themselves – a defender, a friend,” and who “loved her family fiercely and will live on in the hearts of everyone she touched.”
“Today, we mourn the loss of Sgt. Angel Rampersad,” said Brig. Gen. Glenn Henke, commanding general of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, in a statement.
Rampersad’s family traveled to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Wednesday for the dignified transfer of her remains alongside those of the three other fallen service members, a ceremony attended by President Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and other officials also offered condolences, with Hochul saying, “New York, and our nation, are safer because of brave Americans like her who answer the call to serve” while New York City’s Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani stated: “Sgt. Rampersad’s courage and sacrifice will be remembered not just in Queens, but across all five boroughs. My deepest condolences are with her family, loved ones, and all those grieving this profound loss.”
Sergeant Rampersad was assigned to the 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 10th Army Air & Missile Defense Command, in Ansbach, Germany. Her father is a national of Trinidad and Tobago, while her mother is an American citizen.
“Her passing is therefore mourned with particular sorrow in Trinidad and Tobago. Though she served under the United States flag, Sergeant Rampersad also shared a meaningful connection with our nation through her Trinidad and Tobago heritage.,” said Trinidad & Tobago Prime Minister Kamala Persad-Bissessar. On Tuesday July 21st, a team from the Consulate General of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in New York visited Sergeant Rampersad’s family to express the nation’s sympathies and offer support.
The Ozone Park Residents Block Association planned a candlelight vigil outside Rampersad’s family home this week, with neighbors describing her as someone whose sense of duty and warmth touched the wider community well beyond her own family.
NewsAmericasNow extends its condolences to Sgt. Rampersad’s family and the entire Trinidadian and Trinidadian-American community during this difficult time.
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