The young Army hero killed in an overseas Iranian attack was remembered as a selfless, adventurous and courageous leader by hundreds who emotionally said goodbye to her in Queens Friday.
Throngs of mourners flooded the Calvary Assembly of God in Ozone Park to commemorate the life of Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28, before an NYPD-flanked motorcade spanning several blocks headed out to Long Island where she was interred.
Family members, neighbors, fellow soldiers and even strangers sobbed and brushed back tears as the fallen hero’s favorite gospel songs loudly echoed through the halls of the pristine church.
Heartbroken loved ones chose to reflect on the impact of Rampersad’s short life while at her funeral — not the manner in which she died.
“She could talk to people in her rank, above her rank, and they would accept it since it was the way she did it,” Daisy Davis-Credle, president of the Queens Sunday School Association, told The Post after the funeral.
“It’s not what you do, it’s how you do what you do. And she knew how to do that — they listened to her.”
The Ozone Park native was one of three US soldiers reportedly killed July 17 when Iranians rained missiles on the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.
Rampersad was given a hero’s sendoff before she was buried at the Long Island National Cemetery in Farmingdale. NYPD cops in uniform carried her coffin out of the church and into a hearse, while a police procession lined the Queens streets and saluted the fallen soldier.
“It was a fantastic celebration of life,” said Alphonse Ranni, a Vietnam War veteran and member of Chapter 32 of Vietnam Veterans of America.
“She was very loved. She was well-known in her neighborhood, very respected.”
Ranni — who earned two Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts for his service — said his group was just one of several that made sure to pay their respects to the fallen hero.
“Our organization’s motto is that one generation of veterans will never abandon another. And that’s what we do. … This was a situation where this could have happened to any of us,” Ranni said.
Even strangers peppered amongst the crowd paid their respects, telling The Post they felt encouraged to show up for the slain soldier who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
“She served as a hero. She died as a hero,” one attendee, who declined to share her name, said.
Gov. Kathy Hochul and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards briefly spoke at the church service, but made no mention of politics in their remarks.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani was also in attendance, but did not speak, attendees told The Post.
Instead, he released a statement commending her “remarkable character.”
“My heart aches for the many family and friends here today who carry the weight of this loss,” Mamdani said.
The young soldier was one of three killed in action earlier this month, along with Army First Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Hawaii, and Pfc. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Texas.
Rampersad — a graduate of John Jay College of Criminal Justice — joined the Army, following in the footsteps of her uncle.
She was assigned to the Germany-based 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command — and had previously served at a base in Hawaii, where she conducted radio work.
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