As soon as I heard that this book was coming out I knew that I wanted to read it. I have never read a military book from a female officer before and I was eager to get my hands on this one. Luckily I was sent an ARC (Advance Reader Copy) and so I have spent most of the night reading it in one sitting.
It is quite a page turner and I couldn't put it down. I love the writing style, which is extremely accessible. The author is very informal and her work reads like a girly chat over a glass of wine, where she tells you all about her adventures, heartbreaks and triumphs.
Sometimes military books can have quite a condescending tone, an I'm it, you're shit sort of vibe, but happily Chinook Crew Chick isn't like that at all. The author draws you into her world with humour and a degree of self-deprecation which just makes her seem all the more charming.
These lighter moments are essential because the book covers some very dark topics. As a memoir it doesn't have any real self-help techniques contained within its pages, which are the type of hybrid military books I usually read, but it is nonetheless very inspiring and I still feel that I got a lot out of it.
The main thing that I have taken away from reading this book is an insight into what happened in Afghanistan when the Chinooks were sent out to pick up wounded soldiers. I know soldiers who were on operations over there and it helped to give me a clearer picture of what they experienced, both when bringing back a wounded comrade (who is now living his best life in the Highlands!) and also when bringing back a fallen friend who hadn't survived.
This kind of insight is invaluable to me if I am to be a good friend to my soldiers, but it's not the kind of thing I could ask them about for fear of triggering bad memories. The author has equipped me with another piece of the jigsaw puzzle, so I have a better understanding of their time there. It may seem like a small thing, but being able to picture the situation they were once in helps me to understand them a little better. Who knows, it might even have been Gloria Stitz herself who picked them up! In some ways, I hope that it was as she seems to be the type of person who would have made the journey easier for them, with her kindness and humour.
Speaking of humour, some of my favourite parts of the book made me laugh out loud, including when the author is hanging head first out of a helicopter with only a bit of a strap to keep her from plummeting to the ground and she had to radio her boss to come and haul her back in! Also the vomiting on his boots too - probably not the best way to impress your boss! And Gloria. I admit, it took me a minute, but yes, Gloria caught up with me and I laughed my head off.
Chinook Crew Chick is both a funny memoir and a sad one. War always leaves its mark on the soldiers who fight it. Often we cannot see these marks and the wounds are invisible to the eye, but they are no less real. If anything, an invisible wound can be more difficult to cope with because you cannot simply point to it and say "Look, I'm injured and I'm still suffering", so the help isn't always forthcoming when it is needed.
I know from personal experience that the NHS are useless when it comes to handling PTSD, so there is little help in society for ex-servicemen and women. Personally I believe that there should be greater levels of aftercare for ex-military personnel, which should be overseen by the MOD. I think that they should train battalions of counselors, in the same way that they are happy to train armies of human fighting machines. That way the help will be on hand when it is needed. If the MOD were to handle it then people wouldn't have to rely on charities to fill the gap in mental health services. Then again, I have also heard it said that 'the MOD couldn't handle a f**king pan', so maybe that's just a pipe dream!
Another aspect of the book which touched me deeply was when the author was writing of her own darkest hour. I remember studying suicidal ideation during my psychotherapy training and I have to say that the author has done a fantastic job of describing the dissociative thought process which can lead someone down the dark path to suicide. The logical thought process, cut off from all emotion, is starkly illustrated in the book, as is the example of how easy it is to just fall through the net of those who have a duty of care to protect, such as doctors, pharmacists and counselors. When will those in power learn that under-funding and overstretching these services really does cost lives? No-one should be allowed to fall through the net. No-one who reaches out for help should be sent away with a handful of leaflets and promises of a referral that can take months to action.
So obviously there are trigger warnings that come with this book, because topics of war, battle trauma and suicidal ideation are all covered. Having said that, Chinook Crew Chick is a fabulous page-turner and I have really enjoyed reading it. I am grateful for the insights it has given me as I can now be of better help to my soldier friends. I hope that the author will go on to write more books, particularly the military self-help books I find so useful. I am certainly happy to have been given the opportunity to read this one.
Books like this are so important because you simply never know how much good they will do once they have been set free into the world. You just have to trust that those who need it, will find it and that it will make a positive difference.
I for one am very glad that Liz McConaghy lived to tell her tale.
BB Marie x
AD; This book was sent to me by the publisher for the purposes of review. It will be released on 30th September 2022 and is available for pre-order now.
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