The Pentagon has released the name of a US soldier killed in the past week in the war in Iran and the name of another soldier “believed to have been killed in action” as the conflict continues.
In a statement Tuesday, the Pentagon said that it believes that Sergeant Angel S. Rampersad, 28, of Queens, New York, died Friday during an Iranian attack that killed two other soldiers in Jordan. A soldier was previously reported missing after the attack.
Sgt Rampersad had been assigned to the 10th Army Air Missile Defence Command in Ansbach, Germany. She was “truly a gift to everyone who knew her,” Pesach Osina, a state Assembly candidate in the district where Sgt Rampersad lived, said in a statement on social media Tuesday night.
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“She never sought attention or recognition,” Mr Osina said. “She simply wanted to serve, protect others, and do her duty with courage and humility.”
Earlier Tuesday, the Defence Department said that Sergeant Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, died Saturday in a separate event, during the disposal of an Iranian drone in northern Iraq. The episode, a controlled detonation at Irbil Air Base, is under investigation, the Pentagon said.
Sgt Swinton had been assigned to the 108th Air Defence Artillery Brigade at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.
Lieutenant-General John L. Rafferty, the commanding general of US Army Space and Missile Defence Command, said in a statement that Sgt Swinton’s death had “occurred during an operation to safeguard fellow soldiers.”
“His service will not be forgotten,” Lt-Gen Rafferty added, “and his sacrifice is not in vain.”
Sgt Swinton was not involved in the actual detonation, but was killed by flying debris from the blast, said a US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss operational matters.
The announcements came one day after the Pentagon released the names of the two other soldiers who died in the Iranian attack in Jordan, one on Friday, the other on Saturday. There have now been 17 US military personnel confirmed to have been killed since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28.
The deaths occurred during a week of spiralling clashes between US and Iranian forces in the Persian Gulf, where tensions have worsened since the collapse of a ceasefire reached by the countries last month.
As of Tuesday morning, US forces had been striking targets in Iran, including military command centres and missile and drone launch sites, for 10 straight nights, according to US Central Command. Iran said Tuesday that it had attacked Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan, countries that host US military bases.
In a text message to The New York Times, Sgt Swinton’s mother, Christel Swinton Andujar, said her son was adventurous, fearless and “the kind of person who could light up any room.”
He grew up in Cumberland County, North Carolina, and loved basketball and fishing, his mother said. He was married and had two children.
“He had a contagious laugh, an incredible sense of humour and loved making people smile,” Swinton Andujar said. “He was a true jokester who believed life was meant to be lived to the fullest.”
He enlisted in the Army in 2017 as an air defence early warning system operator, according to the US Army Space and Missile Defence Command.
The Army said in a statement Tuesday that Sgt Swinton would receive the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and the Combat Action Badge, and that he would be posthumously promoted to staff sergeant.
“Sgt= Swinton was an experienced noncommissioned officer who took great pride in his work and the people around him,” said Brigadier General John Dawber, who leads the 32nd Army Air and Missile Defence Command. “He answered the call to duty with courage, honour and selfless dedication.”
“He was an amazing man,” Jamiah Gonzalez-Swinton, his wife, said tearfully when reached by phone Tuesday morning. She was unable to say more.
In addition to Sgt Rampersad, two other soldiers were killed after the Iranian attack in Jordan last week: Private Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, and 1st Lieutenant Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii.
Private Gonzales, who joined the Army just after graduating from high school, is the youngest US service member to be killed of all the casualties identified by the Pentagon since the war began.
Lt Feehan, who was weeks away from earning an MBA, was engaged and planned to pursue law school next, his father, Stephen Feehan, said in a statement shared with the Times on Tuesday night.
“Our hearts are shattered,” Mr Feehan said, adding that his family plans to build a scholarship in Tyler’s name to support the education of those who serve, or hope to someday.
“He believed deeply in the power of military service, especially what it builds in a person: discipline, leadership, character,” Feehan said of his son. “Everyone who knew him loved him.”
“To every man and woman who serves this country, our prayers remain with you, as they always have,” he added.
