Liz McConaghy's remarkable journey encompasses a distinguished 17-year tenure as the longest-serving female crewmember on the Royal Air Force Chinook Fleet. Hailing from a small town in Co. Down, Northern Ireland, she embarked on her aviation career, commencing on her 19th birthday at RAF Cranwell, marking the inception of her remarkable journey aboard Chinook helicopters.

Distinguished by her role as the youngest aircrew member to deploy to Iraq at just 21, and as the sole female crewman on the Chinook wing for a remarkable four years, Liz's narrative is an extraordinary testament to her uniqueness.

During her distinguished career, she completed two deployments to Iraq and an impressive ten deployments to Helmand, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Herrick, offering her a deeply personal and insightful perspective on the realities of war.

However, the chapter of her life took a different turn when she left the RAF in 2019. A series of events compounded her struggle with PTSD, leading to a critical moment in August 2020 when she faced her darkest hour and tried taking her own life. Overcoming this adversity, she embarked on a journey through the Veterans' Mental Health care system, where she confronted her demons and sought to heal the wounds left by the battlefield. During this time, she channelled her thoughts and emotions into the art of writing, initially through poetry and later, an autobiography.

In September 2022, she unveiled "Chinook Crew Chick," a book that rapidly ascended to Amazon Bestseller status within just three weeks. The book candidly and humorously recounts her experiences - the best and worst of times - while flying aboard the Chinook, illustrating how these experiences have transformed and moulded her into the person she is today.

Her story takes readers on a journey from dodging bullets to saving lives and bearing witness to the harsh realities of war, while also delving into the challenges of reintegrating into civilian life after leaving the military.

Liz McConaghy's story serves as a beacon of hope for those who have navigated the darkest corners of life, seeking the tools within themselves to rebuild a pathway to a new existence. She has embraced her role as an ambassador for mental health, with a particular focus on PTSD among veterans, proving that it need not define one's identity but can serve as a chapter of life that imparts invaluable lessons and, most importantly, moved on from.