U.S. military confirms third service member killed in Iranian strike on Jordan air base
The Pentagon identified Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad as the third American service member believed dead after an Iranian attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, bringing the U.S. death toll in the conflict to 18.
The United States Department of Defense announced that Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28, of New York, is the third service member believed to have been killed during an Iranian attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan on July 17, 2026. The Pentagon said her status was changed from “Duty Status-Whereabouts Unknown” to “believed to be deceased” after unidentified remains were found and examined.
Rampersad, an active-duty soldier supporting overseas operations, was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 10th Army Air & Missile Defense Command, based in Ansbach, Germany. New York Governor Kathy Hochul expressed condolences on social media, noting the loss to the state and the military community.
The identification follows earlier reports that two other U.S. service members, Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Hawaii, and Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Texas, were killed in the same strike. Both were attached to Army missile defense commands. A fourth service member, Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, died in a separate incident in Erbil, Iraq.
The deaths raise the total number of U.S. personnel killed since the conflict began to 18. The Pentagon said the incident remains under investigation while U.S. forces continue air operations against Iranian targets in the region.