Queens funeral for Staff Sgt Angel Rampersad killed in Iran

Hundreds of mourners gathered in Queens on Friday, July 31, to honor and bury U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Angel Rampersad, a 28-year-old from Ozone Park who was killed during a military action in the Middle East. Sgt. Rampersad was one of three U.S. soldiers killed on July 17 in an Iranian missile strike on the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.

The emotional funeral service at Calvary Assembly of God drew family, neighbors, fellow soldiers, and numerous elected officials. Inside the church, Rampersad was remembered as a courageous, selfless, and motivated soldier whose life embodied the immigrant American dream. Born in Trinidad, she immigrated to the United States as a young child, graduated from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and joined the Army following her uncle’s example. She was assigned to a Germany-based air defense command and was deployed to Jordan.

Her mother, Carol Acevedo, addressed the congregation, calling her daughter a hero and urging other parents to cherish their children. New York Governor Kathy Hochul delivered a eulogy, highlighting Rampersad’s service as a powerful lesson in sacrifice by those not born in the country they defend. The governor had ordered...