CAMP SPRINGS (DC News Now)—She’s a D.C. National Guard member by day and a family law attorney by night.
Master Sergeant Ismarí Ramos Medina not only protects our local airspace but uses what little spare time she has to fight for domestic violence victims in the DMV.
“Have there been any altercations? Have they hit you? Have they caused any type of assault towards you,” said Ramos Medina during calls with her clients.
Her voice is a soothing sense of calm for the domestic violence victims Ismarí Ramos Medina represents pro bono with D.C. Volunteer Lawyers Project.
“When we finish this phone call we will give you all the information you need,” said Ramos Medina.
Originally from Puerto Rico, Ismarí is no ordinary lawyer. On top of her duties fighting for domestic violence victims in the DMV.
she fights to defend the local airspace of the National Capitol Region for the D.C. National Guard.
“What I specifically do is be on alert and we dispatch,” said Ramos Medina. “We give that initial notification to the pilots and maintainers to dispatch F-16s to see if there’s a threat in the airspace.“
Her job helps the F-16s take flight.
“After we do that part, they’re the ones that go in the air,” said Ramos Medina. “They make sure that there are no threats similar to what happened on September 11, that would happen again in this area.”
Her sharpness, tenacity, and strength in this role translate for her victims in the courtroom.
“It’s very frustrating because sometimes you don’t even sleep thinking about it,” said her client who would only be identified as Maria for her safety.
These qualities helped Ramos Medina fight for her client Maria to gain custody of her son. “It’s very fulfilling that I can do this for these victims and survivors because they are truly alone when they are facing these problems,” said Ramos Medina.
Ismarí and the D.C. Volunteer Lawyers Project fought hard for Maria and her son and won.
“I felt relieved,” said Maria. “I felt like I just won the lottery. I felt supported. Because I knew I had someone supporting me. Whatever happened, she would talk me through it with me. The life I live now is very different. Because I know that I have custody now!”
Master Sergeant Ramos Medina says her role as a lawyer also helps bring her humanity to the uniform.
“Being a lawyer requires a lot of discipline, research, and organization,” said Ramos Medina. “I think those skills can also be brought to being a command post controller. The training that I have from the Air Force is more hands-on. You don’t have to think so much. You just do it and you follow orders. However, we also have to take into consideration the component that we are people. Being a senior NCO (non-commissioned officer), you have to relate to your peers. You have to relate to your airmen and that empath from being a lawyer also transmits into the Air Force and the community that we are.”
