A candlelight vigil has been scheduled to honor Sgt. Angel Rampersad, one of four American soldiers killed during fighting in the Middle East.
The Ozone Park Residents Block Association said the vigil would take place Monday at 7 p.m. at 133-01 96th Street. Rampersad’s family is expected to be in attendance.
“The family is deeply grateful for the extraordinary outpouring of love, prayers, and support from Ozone Park and from people across the country,” Sam Esposito, president of the association, said in a statement. “However, we cannot emphasize strongly enough that the family’s privacy must be respected as they mourn the loss of their beloved family member.”
Following Monday’s vigil, a public funeral service will be held on Friday at Calvary Assembly of God church from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. A livestream of the service will also be made available to anyone who cannot attend.
A procession will then lead to Long Island National Cemetery.
American flags lining the Ozone Park streets around Rampersad’s family home on 96th Street have been flying at half staff since the sergeant’s death earlier this month. The 28-year-old was on of three service members killed in an attack on a base in Jordan.
Carol Acevedo/mother: “My daughter was a good solider, she fought for this country and died for this country, and I am a mother that’s highly proud of her,” Carol Acevedo, Rampersad’s mother, said at a press conference late last week.
“I know that she was really really focused on what she was doing, she loved it.”
Rampersad played drums in her church choir and ran track, the family’s spokesperson said. She had enlisted in the Army about seven years ago, doing so only after fulfilling her mom’s wish to finish college first.
In a statement, Gov Hochul said Sgt. Rampersad lived a life of courage and selflessness. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said her “courage and sacrifice will be remembered not just in Queens but across all five boroughs.”