It was a solemn day at Dover Airforce Base as the families of fallen soldiers gathered for a dignified transfer of the remains of four fallen U.S. service members, bringing the total number of U.S. Service members killed since the start of the war with Iran to at least 18.
What You Need To Know
Sgt. Angel Sarah Rampersad, 28, was killed in action on Friday, July 17, during an Iranian ballistic missile and drone attack on a military base in Jordan
She lived in Ozone Park, Queens
Rampersad’s mother described her as a “gentle giant” who “loved her family fiercely and will live on in the hearts of everyone she touched”
A representative from the Ozone Park Residents Block Association, who is helping the family, said Rampersad’s mother and wife were at Dover Airforce Base to receive her remains
President Donald Trump was in attendance and told members of the press ahead of the ceremony, “They are indeed great heroes, actually. So we’re going to honor them. And it’s one of the hardest things to do for me. It’s one of the hardest things to do as a president.”
In Ozone Park, Queens, a neighborhood is in mourning.
A flag flies at half-staff in front of the home of 28-year-old Sgt. Angel Sarah Rampersad, who was killed in action on Friday, July 17, during an Iranian ballistic missile and drone attack on a military base in Jordan.
A representative from the Ozone Park Residents Block Association, who is helping the family, said Rampersad’s mother and wife were at Dover Airforce Base to receive her remains.
People who live on her block in Queens said they’re heartbroken for the family.
“It’s terrible. Because for me, I’m a mother,” Blanca Giron told NY1. “We want a good future for them, but when something happens like this, it’s terrible.”
“It’s devastating, especially when it hits so close to home. Even if you didn’t know the people. No parent should have to bury their child,” Brenda Graham, another neighbor, said.
Rampersad enlisted in the U.S. Army in March 2019.
Her mother, Carol Acevedo, released a statement, which reads: “Our beloved angel Sarah Rampersad was a gentle giant. She was involved in her church at an early age playing the drums & winning every track race among her peers. She stood up for those who couldn’t fight for themselves….A defender & a friend. She loved her family fiercely and will live on in the hearts of everyone she touched!”
According to Carlos Garcia with the Ozone Park Residents Block Association, Rampersad met her wife in the U.S. Army. She loved the ocean and had a dog named Rio.
Rampersad was born in Trinidad and had an older sister. Her dad still lives there.
She went to CUNY’s John Jay College of Criinal Justice, at her mother’s request, before enlisting in the U.S. Army when she was 21 years old.
Rampersad re-enlisted last year.
“Sgt. Rampersad’s courage and sacrifice will be remembered not just in Queens, but across all five boroughs.” Adding, “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,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani wrote in a statement.