One punch at a time: Air Force reservist finds peace through boxing

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --

For a 512th Airlift Wing reservist, the path from homelessness to healing was paved with punches. To take control of his life, Senior Airman Astrid Amandazi, 512th Force Support Squadron customer support staff, harnessed the one consistency in his life since the age of 5 - boxing.

"It takes the pain away," said Amandazi. "When I get out of the ring, I remember that life isn't as rough as it used to be."

Amandazi grew up in inner-city New York, where there was a boxing gym located next door to his day care center. He said his curiosity whisked him away as he took his first steps toward a journey that would change his life forever.

Amandazi said his dreams of fighting professionally formed quickly, but the domestic violence and poverty that struck his family wasn't something that could be easily sidestepped.

"One summer, I wore the same shirt and same shorts every day," said Amandazi. "It was a yellow and green shirt with red shorts."

Amandazi said he fought hard throughout his youth to keep himself out of trouble and help his family, but despite the blood, sweat and tears, he ended up at a juvenile detention center while his family ended up homeless. One night, he said he was certain a bigger change was needed.

"I remember the first night we slept in the car," said Amandazi, who was 17 years old at the time. "My mom didn't say anything. She just sat there in silence and put her chair in recline. In that moment, I knew I had to figure something else out. The only thing I could think of was enlisting."

Several of Amandazi's neighborhood friends had already taken the leap into service before him. When a friend recommended the Army National Guard, he said he felt confident it was the right choice. After enlisting in 2014, Amandazi continued to excel at physical fitness in the U.S. Army; and, three years later, he received an offer to be a full-time boxer on active duty.

Amandazi said his training and dedication to the sport brought him to new heights, affording him the opportunity to represent Uganda in the 2020 Olympics. He said, the feeling was bittersweet, because he felt his success in boxing meant nothing if he didn't make his family proud. After enlisting in the Army, Amandazi said his relationship with his mother remained rocky.

"I had a void that I tried to fill by accomplishing things in order to be acknowledged," said Amandazi. "I would take on bigger and bigger things just to get my mother's approval."

After Amandazi lost in the preliminaries on the second day of his Olympic debut, he said his complicated relationship with his mother began to affect his work.

"My sergeant recommended therapy," said Amandazi. "I was avoidant, distant and dismissive. I knew I had to change that."

In 2022, Amandazi said he fought against his preconceived notions about self-help and went in with his guard up. He said once he found the right therapist, he no longer felt like his sessions were pointless, and he eventually came to terms with his journey and set his sights on helping others rather than pleasing one person.

"I knew then, like I know now, that boxing is not the end-all be all," said Amandazi. "I am more than just a boxer."

After eight years of service, he left the Army and joined a federal law enforcement agency in Washington, D.C. Amandazi said he missed serving, so after listening to fellow police officers discuss the Air Force, he decided to see for himself what the branch had to offer. In 2022, Amandazi enlisted in the Air Force Reserve as a personnelist.

"It's a different mission and a different pace," said Amandazi. "The Air Force has been a blessing in disguise."

As a customer support Airman, Amandazi interacts with customers, assisting them in a variety of ways, including welcoming newcomers, creating ID cards and helping Airmen transition in and out of the service.

His supervisor Tech. Sgt. Michael Brower, the 512th Force Support Squadron customer support chief, said Amandazi has really come out of his shell since he's been here.

"He regularly engages with customers with refreshing politeness and professionalism," said Brower. "He especially connects with customers who are police officers or fitness-oriented people."

In less than two years with the Air Force Reserve, Amandazi has become a Unit Fitness Program Manager, taking full responsibility for his unit's physical fitness training, and has volunteered to be a Resilience Training Assistant to share his newfound appreciation for mental health.

"Thanks to therapy I've learned to live in the now more," said Amandazi. "I now fill that void in my heart by extending a helping hand to young people who need guidance or anyone who needs inspiration."

A fellow 512th FSS co-worker Senior Airman Ciara Williams said Amandazi is very good at encouraging people to keep going and to improve themselves.

"Senior Airman Amandazi has had a major impact on the workplace in the short time he's been there," said Williams. "I told him he's basically building a legacy here. Nobody else has the same background that he does, and it makes us better."

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