Army releases photo of Ozone Park soldier believed killed in Jordan missile attack

OZONE PARK, Queens (WABC) -- The U.S. Army released a photo early Tuesday morning of Sgt. Angel Rampersad - the Ozone Park, Queens residents believed to have been killed in an Iranian missile attack on a U.S. base in Jordan.

The Army released a statement that said in part: "Sgt. Angel Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, New York, is believed to have been killed in action on July 17, 2026, during an enemy attack at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, Jordan. The incident is under investigation. Rampersad was previously identified as missing."

Rampersad was assigned to 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 52d Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command in Ansbach, Germany. She served as a 25U Signal Operations Support Specialist.

"Today, we mourn the loss of Sgt. Angel Rampersad," said Brig. Gen. Glenn Henke, commanding general of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command in prepared remarks. "We extend our deepest, most heartfelt condolences to her family and all those who are navigating this unimaginable loss. The 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command is grieving, and we will continue to support one another as we process this tragedy."

The Army says she enlisted in March 2019, and earned the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Army Service Ribbon.

The rising casualties show Iran maintains the ability to strike U.S. bases and inflict significant damage, despite repeated assertions by President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that Tehran's military had been effectively destroyed. Hegseth declared the campaign a "historic and overwhelming victory" during an April press conference.

Here's a look at other three soldiers who the Pentagon has identified as being killed after the collapse of the ceasefire and return to daily fighting.

Pfc. Isabella Gonzales

Pfc. Isabella Gonzales, 19, enlisted in the Army last year and served as an air and missile defense crewmember maintaining and using the systems which have been key to protecting U.S. bases from Iranian attacks, according to the Army.  

She was killed Friday during an Iranian missile and drone attack at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. She was assigned to 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command.

"We are profoundly saddened by the loss of Pvt. Isabella Gonzales," Brig. Gen. Glenn Henke, commander of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, said in a statement. "She gave the ultimate sacrifice for her country and will always be remembered as a hero. Our hearts go out to her family, friends, and teammates. Our immediate priority is ensuring they have the resources and support they need to process this grief together."

Gonzales was posthumously promoted to private first class.

1st Lt. Tyler Feehan

1st Lt. Tyler Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, died from wounds suffered during that Friday attack on the Jordan air base the following day. 

He enlisted in the Army in 2019 as a combat engineer with the Hawaii Army National Guard, according to the service. He later commissioned from Brigham Young University as an active-duty Air Defense Artillery Officer in 2024. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

"1st Lt. Feehan's unwavering dedication to our mission, our values, and the air defenders he led will leave an enduring legacy," Brig. Gen. John Dawber, who leads the 32nd Air and Missile Defense Command, said in a statement. "We stand fully committed to supporting his family and loved ones through this incredibly difficult time, and we will never forget his ultimate sacrifice in defense of our nation."

Feehan will be posthumously promoted to captain, according to the service.

Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton

Army Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, died Sunday following the controlled detonation of a downed Iranian attack drone at Erbil Air Base in Iraq, the Army said.

"Michael was an amazing man," his wife, Mia Gonzalez-Swinton, told ABC News in a statement. "He was an amazing father and an amazing husband. He cared so much for his soldiers, too."

Swinton was assigned to D Battery, 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He served as an early warning systems operator, responsible for detecting, tracking and reporting incoming enemy threats to help protect U.S. forces from missile and drone attacks.

It remains unclear what led to Swinton's death. The use of controlled detonations is a common practice among trained explosive ordnance disposal teams to neutralize hazardous devices. Those procedures were refined over two decades of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, where roadside bombs were a persistent threat to coalition forces. While the disposal of munitions is inherently dangerous, one U.S. official explained, fatal incidents are relatively rare. 

The Defense Department said an investigation is ongoing.

The Army said Swinton will be posthumously promoted to staff sergeant.

Base infrastructure

While U.S. forces are equipped with several high-tech systems to down Iranian missiles and drones, those attacks, once those weapons break through, troops often have limited protection from the infrastructure where they live and work.

For much of the post-9/11 era, U.S. bases in the Middle East outside of Iraq and Afghanistan were broadly viewed as safe, being divorced from those conflicts and firmly in support roles. Overseas installations rely on above-ground structures built from low-cost materials, including trailers and shipping containers, sometimes surrounded by concrete barriers or reinforced with sandbags on roofs or along exterior walls, protections which are not built to withstand aerial attacks or heavy explosives.

Even the large concrete blast walls that became a defining feature of U.S. bases during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars offer limited protection against direct strikes from modern missiles and drones. 

Those barriers were primarily designed to protect against gunfire, mortar and rocket attacks, and vehicle bombs detonated at a distance, not direct impacts from advanced weapons, according to a 2006 Army assessment of base infrastructure.

In recent years, defense officials have increasingly studied how to harden bases against drone attacks, recognizing that infrastructure built for earlier conflicts is often ill-suited to withstand modern threats.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday plans to attend the dignified transfer of the four U.S. service members at Dover Air Force Base.

ABC News contributed to this report.