The Army released a statement that said the 28-year-old is believed to have been killed in action on July 17 during an enemy attack at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.
Rampersad's mother and loved ones gathered outside her home to remember the fallen hero. Her mother, Carol Acevedo, called her daughter "a good soldier."
"She fought for this country, and she died for this country and I am a mother who is highly proud of her. And I know she was really, really focused on what she was doing. She loved it," she said.
Her aunt described has having a quiet strength -- even as a child.
"All through her life, in the face of every crisis that her family encountered, she would be the calming element all the time," her aunt Judy Rackal said.
Loved ones said Rampersad knew she wanted to join the military when she was a teenager, but waited until after college to join.
Rampersad enlisted in the Army in 2019 and served three years in Hawaii and then three years in Germany before reenlisting.
She studied criminal justice at John Jay College and attended Forest Hills High School and P.S. 108.
She is originally from Trinidad and moved to the U.S. with her mom and sister when she was just 2 years old.
"We will remember Angel for how she lived, not how she died, we'll remember her as the drummer, singer and star athlete at Forest Hills High School," Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. said. "Her family will remember her as a model daughter, wife, sister, and, of course, a dog mom. And our country will remember that even though she wasn't born in the U.S., she loved it so much that she was willing to defend it with her own life."
The community in Ozone Park has come together and left porchlights on until Rampersad's remains were brought home. Neighbors bought American flags this week and displayed them in front of their homes.
Residents described the display as a tribute to the freedoms Rampersad helped defend through her military service.
"It's a tragedy," one neighbor said. "You hate to see something like this happen to a genuine hero. These are great people. These are our neighbors. And we're all leaving our lights on for her."
Sam Esposito, president of Ozone Park Residents Block Association, announced that there would be a community vigil in memory of Rampersad on Monday, July 27.
"Let us gather to demonstrate our community pride and honor one of our hometown heroes, and an American hero," he said. "Sgt. Angel Rampersad served her country with honor. Now it's our responsibility to honor her memory, preserve her legacy and make sure that her name is never forgotten."
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