The Department of War named the fourth dead U.S. service member in the recent Middle East attacks as Sgt: Angel S. Rampersad, 28, an Ozone Park resident in New York.
According to the Department of War, she is presumed to have been killed in action on July 17 in an enemy assault at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. This particular incident is still under investigation.
She was initially classified as missing in action, but later her duty status was revised to “Duty Status – Whereabouts Unknown,” and then it was declared that she is presumed to be dead. According to U.S. Central Command, the deaths of the service members occurred when American and coalition forces responded to Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks against the base. The troops retrieved the unidentified remains and began the verification process, CENTCOM stated.
Sgt. Rampersad was posted at the 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command in Ansbach, Germany, where she worked as a signal operations support specialist, the U.S. Army informed. Her unit focuses on short-range air defense, which means they work with missile systems intended to protect U.S. and coalition forces against drones, cruise missiles, and other low-altitude aerial threats. She deployed to the Middle East in support of the United States operations following her time in Germany.
She is at least the 18th U.S. service member who died since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran in February; there are about 500 U.S. casualties who have sustained injuries, according to Defense Department figures shared with ABC News. The Pentagon already identified two more service members who died in this particular attack: 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas.
President Donald Trump visited a dignified transfer on Wednesday at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, where he saluted as four transfer cases containing the remains of Rampersad and three other service members disembarked the plane, reported ABC7 New York.
Tributes poured in from officials in New York state and Rampersad’s family, describing her as “a gentle giant” dedicated to her church, her community, and her loved ones, CBS News New York reported. Neighbors put American flags in front of their houses along Rampersad’s street in Ozone Park for her funeral.
“Sgt. Rampersad led a life of courage and selflessness,” Governor of New York Kathy Hochul said in a statement, as quoted by Fox News. The nation is safer because of all people like Rampersad who respond to the call of serving, Hochul said.
She was from a military family, coming from Trinidad and Tobago, where her father was born, and she is remembered in her hometown in Queens as well as in her homeland, CBS News New York reported.
The Department of War provided limited information regarding the assault, noting that ballistic missiles and drones were used, and the investigation is continuing.
