Army soldier from Queens identified among 3 killed in Jordan attack
Queens soldier identified among 3 killed in Jordan attack
Sgt. Angel Rampersad of Ozone Park was one of three U.S. Army soldiers who lost their lives in the attack this past Friday.
QUEENS - A Queens family is in mourning following the Pentagon's announcement that a local soldier was among those killed in an Iranian strike on a military base in Jordan this past Friday.
What we know:
The Department of Defense identified the soldier as Sgt. Angel Rampersad of Ozone Park. She was one of three U.S. Army soldiers who lost their lives in the attack. The 28-year-old was originally listed as missing after the July 17 attack, but officials say she had likely died in the assault.
Rampersad was a member of 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 10th Army Air & Missile Defense Command.
According to a family spokesperson, she was an older sister, wife and member of her church choir who was inspired in the Army at a young age by her uncle and her "willingness to serve."
What they're saying:
Sgt. Angel Rampasad's mother, Carol Acevedo, released the following statement regarding her daughter's death.
"Our beloved Sgt. Angel Sarah Rampasad was a gentle giant. She was involved in her church at an early age, playing the drums and 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."
Her mother was present at Dover Air Force Base on Wednesday to receive the remains of her daughter.
The backstory:
The deadly strike in Jordan comes amid rapidly intensifying military engagements in the region. On Wednesday, the U.S. Central Command announced that it had completed its 11th consecutive night of retaliatory strikes against Iranian targets.
As the scope of the conflict widens, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared on Capitol Hill this week, urging lawmakers to approve billions of dollars in new funding to sustain the ongoing war effort.
US launches strikes to ‘swiftly punish’ Iran for deadly attacks
The U.S. military launched a new round of strikes on Iran on Saturday night, aiming to "swiftly punish" the nation’s Revolutionary Guard Corps for an attack on a Jordanian base that killed two American service members.
Dig deeper:
The escalation has effectively frozen diplomatic channels. While welcoming his Lebanese counterpart to the White House on Tuesday, President Donald Trump confirmed that peace talks with Tehran have been suspended indefinitely.
During the meeting, the president also signaled further military escalation, stating that U.S. forces could soon target an area in Iran located near one of the country's primary uranium enrichment sites.
The Source: Information from this article was sourced from the Department of Defense, Central Command, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the White House.