it's always fun when you're downe!

Downe Girl - Rochelle "Ro" Sonza

[special thanks to La Cutie for the pic!]

Rochelle "Ro" Sonza doesn't want to be called a hero. In fact, I get the feeling that the title makes her uncomfortable, but it is still well-deserved nonetheless. I have a quick chat with the 30 year old Air Force Flight Nurse as she scrambles to make arrangements to head off to Japan, where she’s assisting with search and rescue efforts. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she has been in the military for over ten years. Naturally, I expect all Los Angelites to be jaded and kind of snobby, but Sonza is the exact opposite. In fact, there is something familiar about her personality that makes me wonder if she actually grew up in Hawaii instead. As I write this article, I wonder where Sonza is right now. I wonder if she's already returned from Japan and I feel grateful there are still people like Sonza who are willing to put their lives on the line to help those in need.

Sonza enlisted in the Army in 1999 as a way to get out of college. "I did a semester at Pepperdine and I didn’t want to be there, so I just enlisted," she explains. "Ever since then, I’ve been extending my contract. I remember not knowing what to do back then, needing direction, and the whole idea of 'seeing the world' appealed to me. I’ve been fortunate and blessed enough to see so much during my career."

I ask why she decided on nursing. "I’m Filipino. It’s in my blood," she laughs. "Actually, they test you to see what you’re best suited for—I remember I got nursing and aircraft mechanics. Nursing seemed really interesting and I was already interested in the medical field, so when they offered me that opportunity I decided to take it."

Sonza completed her first ten years in the army and then recently transferred to the Air Force. She decided she wanted a new challenge and thought the Air Force had more to offer her. In the Army, she helped transport injured soldiers from the battlefield to a secondary location where they are stabilized. Her main purpose in the Air Force is similar, except now she keeps patients stabilized on the "long haul" from the secondary location to the main hospital.

“In comparison to the army, it’s totally different," she explains. "Different way of treatment, way of lifestyle, everything.” Although her job duties have changed since transferring to the Air Force, Flight Nursing is a profession that allows her to help others and make a difference in their quality of life. In fact, Sonza was dedicated to joining a Search and Rescue team, in hopes of getting more training, and by coincidence the team she joined is now getting ready to head out to Japan after the devastating earthquake and tsunami earlier this month.

The duties in Search and Rescue vary greatly. It can be anything from water rescue to any kind of search and extraction, in any element. Search and Rescue is admittedly very risky, but that doesn't seem to convince Sonza she should pursue a safer profession. "I want to do something crazy, I want to do something helpful," she says. "In the military I've learned, they're going to use you and you're going to have to use them in order to get what you need and what you want out of your life and career."

"One of the few things I really love about the military is the humanitarian missions that we do," she tells me. "Those are the jobs and missions that really aren't accounted for." She recalls her time in Iraq and how it wasn't just about war, but about helping and providing aid to those in need. "What ever little help you can provide in this world, it's worth it."

Sonza is still in Hawaii when her unit is called to Japan. Despite this setback, she is determined to join them. "Even if I have to fly out there myself on a commercial flight, I'll do it," she says. She hasn't heard from her unit, so she doesn't know where they are headed specifically or what their mission will be. Regardless, she is focused on making herself available to help.

"I can't wrap my mind around the pain and suffering these people [the Japanese] are going through," Sonza explains. "It really breaks my heart. At night, it's the last thing I think about it and in the morning, it's the first thing I think about. It's been an eye opener for me. It really reminds me of why I do what I do. "

"I helped out after Hurricane Katrina and in all honesty, that was more fulfilling for me than being overseas in Iraq," Sonza explains. "There, you know your direct mission is to help and to bring aid to those people who were in true desperate need versus my time in Iraq, where there were several objectives: 1) gain control of the location, 2) to not die, 3) to help out as much as possible without being killed. In those situations, it easy for things to get misconstrued. I remember having days where it felt like there was no true mission. There were days where it just didn't make sense to me. But with Hurricane Katrina, it was very clear what we were there for."

Sonza also helps organize a monthly event in Los Angeles with fellow Downe Girl, DJ Amara, called STEADY. For their April 1st event, all proceeds will go towards Japan disaster relief [more info posted below].

"You ever see the movie, Pay it Forward?" Sonza asks. "Things should be like that. I mean, I think about what we're doing with Steady and I hope we can combine our love for music, dancing, and have it all go towards something good. I just hope people can see that and do something with that as well."

It is in this moment that I realize what about Sonza seems so familiar to me: her aloha spirit.

Check Out STEADY at Medusa Lounge on facebook.

Here's more info about STEADY April 1st 2011 in Los Angeles: