Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton

LOS ANGELES -- Deep among the tangled streets of Los Angeles, a homeless man awoke on a sidewalk in front of a sandwich shop and found a gift sitting with his few belongings stashed behind a trashcan.

Cpl. Rodney Solorzano Jr. had bought a sandwich for the man he guessed would wake up hungry.

"I hope he doesn't just throw it away," the 27-year-old Marine reservist joked. 

Solorzano is quick to flash a smile, speak an encouraging word or lend a helping hand. The five-time world karate champion credits mentors with bringing him to a point in life where he can help others.

"I always give thanks for the people around me. I've always had really good people there for me," said Solorzano, a service record book clerk for 3rd Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, based in Long Beach.

Solorzano recalls his early years, living in a rough part of L.A. - a time when he needed help.

"There were times when we'd be sleeping, and our mom would run into our rooms and tell us to get on the floor. I heard gunshots, and I was scared," he said. "Drive-by shootings happened quite frequently."

Solorzano was born in Diriamba, Nicaragua, in 1974. His father and mother fled to the United States with their 4-year-old son in December 1978 to escape the Somoza dictatorship.

With little money, the family moved to Panorama City, a suburb of Los Angeles, on a visitor's visa.

The neighborhood was filled with gangs and drugs, Solorzano said.

"We went from one war zone to another," he said. "It was kind of ironic."

Young Solorzano ran home from school to avoid gangs who would try to recruit him. Occasionally, his mother gave him money for ice cream or candy, but neighborhood kids beat him up and took the money.

"On my eighth birthday, my grandma asked me what I wanted for a gift. I told her 'karate lessons,'" he said.

Solorzano immediately ran to his dojo after school and sometimes waited hours for the instructor. Karate class was an escape from his neighborhood, but it also provided tools to help him deal with daily pressures.

"I was feeling more confident - I knew I could put my skills to use if I had to," he said.

Inevitably, he did have to. His peers generally left him alone after that.
While Solorzano was in sixth grade, his family moved to a better neighborhood, and he was unable to continue training at his dojo.

He found a new place to train -- a place rich in skill and mentors.

"I went to the world-famous Jet Center to train under Benny 'the Jet' Urquidez," he said. "I got really well-versed there. People would come from all over the world to the Jet Center, so I learned a little bit from everywhere."

There he focused on learning Ukidokan, a combination of styles including kenpo, shotokan, aikido, kickboxing, jujitsu and wrestling.

"I got classes from Gene LeBell, one of Benny's instructors, and I used to watch the black belts train," he said.

Motivated by his mentors and instructors, he began seriously competing in karate tournaments, where he further enriched his fighting style by adapting things he'd learned from other fighters.

"I actually had to lie about my age for my first adult competition," he said with a grin. "I was 16, and I actually won."

At age 18, he stepped up from local tournaments and joined the Sherman Oaks Raiders, a team that competed nationally.

He won his first National Blackbelt League world title in the lightweight division in Hollywood at age 19. He continued winning over the next few years and ended up with five world titles.

"I learned the value of friendship while I was traveling around the world," he said. "I learned that you have to work hard for what you want, and you have to love what you do."

Studying martial arts taught him many things that make him who he is today, he said.

"Martial arts motivates you, instills discipline and confidence," he said. "You learn respect - to respect yourself and others - things I believe are essential to being a productive human being."

The lessons inspired him to give back what he had been given.

"I wanted to give to the community the same opportunity I had growing up," he said.

He decided to open his own karate school for children.

"I looked around rough communities and found a place in North Hollywood, across from the projects," he said.

For more than three years, Solorzano has been teaching martial arts to keep kids off drugs and out of gangs. He also volunteers at Cohasset Elementary School, where he helps children develop their character through physical education.

Meanwhile, he is a full-time student at California State University Northridge, where he double-majors in psychology and Chicano studies. 

"I came to a point in my life where I wanted something different - I wanted to stand out," Solorzano said. "And I feel this is the best country in the world.  For me to get to the point where I am in life, I owe something back to this country."

Capt. Robert Max Martinez, a close family friend, talked with Solorzano about the Marine Corps. Shortly thereafter, Solorzano found himself "standing on the yellow footprints" at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego in May 1999.

"I wouldn't say boot camp was easy, but it was very similar to the teamwork I experienced with my mentors," he said. "Martial arts is very comparable to the Marine Corps."

The boot camp honor graduate will attend Officer Candidacy School in October.

But while Solorzano moves up the ladder, he won't forget his roots or abandon his humanitarian values, he said.

"I always treat each person like a brother - with respect - because that might be the person who'll take a bullet for you."