Indian-origin US Army Sergeant Angel Rampersad, who was killed in action in the Iran war, was given a hero’s farewell at her funeral here. “My daughter was a real hero", her mother Carol Acevedo said on Friday at her funeral, surrounded by officials, soldiers and several hundred mourners who shared the sentiment. Rampersad, who immigrated to the US as a two-year-old from Trinidad, was killed last month in an Iranian missile strike on a US Army base in Jordan.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who ordered the flags to be flown half-staff across the state to mourn her, said, “Staff Sergeant Rampersad lived a life of courage and selflessness. New York, and our nation, are safer because of brave Americans like her who answer the call to serve”. The city and state rallied to honour her on her final journey, which was televised live by some stations.