Rampersad Family Declines Mayor’s Remarks at Slain Army Sergeant’s Queens Funeral

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani attended the funeral service Friday for Army Sgt. Angel Sarah Rampersad in Queens but did not deliver remarks, according to reports. The 28-year-old Ozone Park resident was among three U.S. service members killed during an Iranian attack on July 17 at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.

The Rampersad family made the decision to exclude Mamdani from speaking to prevent potential “political distractions,” according to a source familiar with the funeral who spoke to the New York Post. Mamdani appeared to have prepared remarks available on an iPad during the service at the Ozone Park church, but organizers never called upon him to address attendees.

The mayor’s office subsequently released the statement Mamdani had planned to deliver. “Sergeant Rampersad had tomorrows waiting for her: birthdays, ordinary mornings, evenings spent with her loved ones,” the prepared remarks stated. “But she gave every one of them up so that we could have ours — so that we could stand here today, safe and protected.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, spoke during the service, sharing reflections on Rampersad’s character and service. “I feel after reading and admiring this woman from a distance, I feel like she could be one of my daughters,” Hochul said.

Rampersad was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment in Ansbach, Germany, where she served as a 25U Signal Operations Support Specialist. The other two service members killed in the attack were identified as 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas.

All three were deployed to Jordan in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, the international military campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. According to U.S. Central Command, the troops were killed while defending against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks at the base.