Mourning was visible in Ozone Park.
American flags hang above a street, yellow ribbons are tied around trees and outside one home, neighbors gathered Monday night for a soldier many had never met.
“It’s miles and miles away, but when it hits close to home on your block,” neighbor Brenda Graham said.
“It’s been very hard, in the days going forward are going to be just as hard,” Lois Brill, a member of Ozone Park Residents Association, said.
Sgt. Angel Sarah Rampersad’s mother watched from behind the fence as neighbors, veterans and elected officials filled the block.
The 28-year-old was killed early this month in an attack on an air base in Jordan.
Her friends knew Rampersad before the uniform.
“She was silly, goofy, always made us laugh, loved to dance,” friend Jessica Rivera said.
“I remember when she told me, we were on our way to the mall. And she was like, ‘I have to tell you something,’” friend Jennifer Jones said.
That something was Rampersad joining the army.
She enlisted at age 21, served seven years, and re-enlisted last year.
Vietnam veteran Walter Lynch never served beside her, but says that did not matter.
“All military have to respect those who have fallen for us. We have to support them and their families at all costs,” Lynch said.
Meanwhile, Queens officials are pursuing a street co-naming and the renaming of a school in Rampersad’s honor.
Rep. Gregory Meeks says a flag was flown over the U.S. Capitol in her honor and her name will be entered into the Congressional Record.
“Once your name is mentioned on the floor and in the Congressional Record, that means as long as there is a United States of America, she will be remembered,” Meeks said.
Her family is asking for privacy on Tuesday and Wednesday so they can grieve before a public funeral on Friday.