Overview
- Sgt. Angel Rampersad was killed on July 17 during an attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan that also killed three other U.S. service members, and she was initially listed as missing before military officials confirmed her death.
- Hundreds of neighbors, friends, veterans and elected officials gathered for a candlelight vigil in Ozone Park to honor Rampersad and to support her grieving family ahead of a public funeral scheduled for Friday morning.
- Organizers announced Rampersad received a posthumous promotion to staff sergeant at the vigil and urged residents to line the funeral procession route through the neighborhood.
- Queens leaders and Rep. Gregory Meeks said they are pursuing a street co-naming and a school renaming, and they arranged for a flag to be flown over the U.S. Capitol with her name entered into the Congressional Record.
- The Pentagon and the Army continue forensic identification and investigative work related to the Jordan strike, and Rampersad’s family has asked for short-term privacy as officials and local leaders coordinate memorial plans and honors.