By Ryan Schwach
The Ozone Park and Queens community laid to rest a fallen neighbor on Friday.
Locals, family members, friends and officials honored the memory of Army Staff Sergeant Angel Sarah Rampersad at her funeral on Rockaway Boulevard, several weeks after she was killed by an Iranian missile while serving at a U.S. military base in Jordan.
“No words can erase the pain of our loss, but Sarah’s sacrifice will never be forgotten,” said her older sister, Laura Tamby, during her eulogy. “Her life, her service, her laughter, her kindness, and the love she gave to those around her will continue to speak for her long after today.”
“She chose to dedicate herself to something greater than herself, to protecting others, serving her country, and defending the freedoms that we often take for granted,” her sister added. “Behind that uniform was so much more than a soldier. Behind that uniform was a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a cherished friend and a beloved member of her family.”
Rampersad was killed alongside two other service members – one of whom was a younger soldier that she had taken under her wing – on July 17, when an Iranian missile struck the base where she was stationed in Jordan amid increased violence between the United States and Iran.
Born in Trinidad, Rampersad moved to Queens at a young age and was raised in the South Queens neighborhood. She attended and played drums in her local church, and went to school in the area, graduating from Forest Hills High School.
At 18-years-old, she told her family she wanted to enlist in the army, but her mother, who needed to provide parental consent, told her no.
At 21, Rampersad enlisted, and served in Hawaii and Germany, as well as the Middle East.
“She wanted to see the world, but she also wanted to make a meaningful contribution to society,” said her sister. “She wanted her life to stand for something. She wanted to serve others, and she did.”
Her funeral brought in officials from across the state, including Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Rampersad’s mother, through tears, thanked funeral attendees as she said goodbye to her daughter.
“My daughter was a real hero, and I will miss her dearly,” she said.
Brigadier General Glenn Henke, the commanding general of 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command of which Rampersad belonged, spoke on behalf of the soldiers that knew her best.
He described an “exceptional soldier,” who helped build the unit she was a part of and was a mentor to her brothers and sisters in arms, both beneath her and above her in rank.
“One of her battery commanders said it best: ‘If you needed technical expertise to be a better soldier, you went to Staff Sergeant [Rampersad], but if you needed life expertise to become a better person, you also went to Staff Sergeant [Rampersad],’” Henke said.
“Whenever she saw a soldier in need of coaching and advice, she took it upon herself and provided what was needed,” Henke added.
One of those soldiers she guided was 19-year-old Private First Class Isabella Gonzalez.
“Under her example and mentorship, PFC Gonzales quickly developed into a great soldier,” Henke said.
Gonzalez, along with Lt. Tyler James Feehan, was also killed in the same missile strike.
“Now we still don’t know what happened in the final moments, but knowing what we know about Staff Sergeant Rampersad, I am confident, and I’d like to believe that she spent her last minutes helping a young private, trying to help her get to safety, putting others before herself,” said Henke.