Mayor Mamdani’s Remarks Excluded at Funeral for Sgt. Rampersad
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani faced an unexpected situation on Friday at the funeral of Army Sgt. Angel Sarah Rampersad in Queens. Despite attending the service held at a church in Ozone Park, Mamdani was not given the chance to speak.
According to the New York Post, Mamdani had prepared to share his remarks on an iPad as other dignitaries spoke. However, his name was not called to speak during the ceremony. A source revealed that Rampersad’s family preferred to avoid political distractions, influencing their decision to exclude Mamdani’s speech.
Later, the mayor’s office shared his prepared words. He intended to say, “It is often said that our fallen ‘gave their tomorrows for our today.’ Sergeant Rampersad had tomorrows waiting for her: birthdays, ordinary mornings, evenings spent with her loved ones. 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 Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, delivered her thoughts at the service, reflecting, “I feel after reading and admiring this woman from a distance, I feel like she could be one of my daughters.”
The Department of War confirmed that Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, lost her life on July 17, 2026, during an attack at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. This attack resulted in the death of two other U.S. service members. The U.S. Central Command reported that these casualties occurred while defending against Iranian missile and drone strikes.
The other soldiers who died were identified as 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas. They served in Operation Inherent Resolve, supporting the campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
Sgt. Rampersad was a member of the 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, part of the 52d Air Defense Artillery Brigade, stationed in Ansbach, Germany. She operated as a 25U Signal Operations Support Specialist.
As the service concluded, Mayor Mamdani, alongside New York Attorney General Letitia James and Governor Hochul, paid their respects as pallbearers carried Sgt. Rampersad’s casket out of the church.