Chinook Crew 'Chick': Highs and Lows of Forces Life from the Longest Serving Female RAF Chinook Force Crewmember

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She was also on the last 1310 Flight deployment there as the British forces withdrew 10 years later handing it back to the Afghan National Army.

It is an honest and humorous account of her ‘best of times and worst of times’ and how her experiences flying on the Chinook have changed and moulded her into the woman she has become. Moreover, "Chinook Crew 'Chick'" offers valuable perspectives on the sacrifices made by servicemen and women, shedding light on the emotional toll of deployments and the strain it can place on personal relationships. We're extremely proud to honour Liz as our Inspirational Woman of the Year 2023 and would like to express our deepest gratitude for her altruism and dedication to uplifting the lives of others.

The suicide attempt failed, and Liz woke up in the Basingstoke Intensive Care Unit, where she decided to turn her life around.

Liz hopes her book encourages people to join the RAF as she had an "awesome" career and would do it all again in a heartbeat. Candidly speaking about her suicide attempt, she emphasises the importance of looking after mental health and urges audience members to seek professional help. But as overwhelmingly shaken and upset as I am, I also know that no one wakes up in the morning and thinks I’m going to deliberately fuck up today….With the support of the veterans' system, McConaghy began her recovery journey, recognising how crucial that support network was to her survival. In her astounding career Liz McConaghy completed two deployments to Iraq followed by ten deployments to Helmand province in Afghanistan in support of the enduring Operation Herrick campaign. Liz summarised her experiences with mental health and shared her tips for those who are suffering, and those who know someone else who is suffering.

Succeeding in overcoming her demons, Liz is now a highly sought-after motivational speaker who candidly speaks about her battle with mental health and shares inspirational anecdotes of her military career. If you or someone you know is suffering, Models for Heroes is a charitable organisation that support the UK Armed Forces and Emergency Services personnel by providing model making as a meaningful activity that promotes wellbeing, skill development and social interaction. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. I swear a coworker caught me looking aimlessly out the window today, lost in thought in about the final chapters of this book. With its raw honesty, profound insights, and sheer inspiration, this book truly stands out as a testament to the indomitable spirit of those who serve.I came out of hospital after the overdose, thinking that, well, it can't get any worse than this and the only way is up and, actually, I was hugely mistaken and I was about to start the biggest and hardest battle of my entire life, which was putting it back together. Liz turned to writing both poetry and her autobiography following a tough battle with PTSD years after leaving the service, in the hope it may help others with their mental health. By sharing her journey coping through PTSD enabled our people to get a better understanding of the condition and most importantly, how to manage it. Liz finished counselling with us in early 2022, she says “we all have good days and bad days, but life has been pretty good since.

You learn what rules you can bend when you’re at war; if you’re getting shot at, what you can and can’t get away with. This captivating book takes readers on a breath-taking journey through the skies, offering a rare and intimate glimpse into the life of a woman who defied conventions and forged her path in the male-dominated world of aviation. Liz also takes audiences on her emotional journey of overcoming adversity and speaks about finding hope in the darkest of times, revealing the valuable tools she used to build a path to a new life.In an exclusive interview with Liz McConaghy, the longest serving female RAF Chinook Force Crew member, Liz describes how it all started, and the challenges she faced during and after leaving the RAF. It’s a chapter in my book, it’s not an anchor that I wear around my legs forever or a new label that I have to have forever,” she said.