Josh McConkey
Joshua Michael McConkey (born 18 September 1977), also known as Josh McConkey, is an American author, politician, emergency physician, and United States Air Force (USAF) colonel. He is known for being the author of the leadership book Be the Weight Behind the Spear.[1] He previously served as Chief of Aviation Medicine for the Nebraska Army National Guard from 2007 to 2009.[2]He also ran for Congress from the 13th district seat of North Carolina in 2024.[3][4]
Early life and education
[edit]McConkey grew up in Alliance, Nebraska and attended Alliance High School. He participated in the Rural Health Opportunity Program (RHOP) at Chadron State.[5] McConkey's graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from Chadron State College in 1999. He also received a Doctorate of Medicine from the University of Nebraska Omaha in 2003.[2]
Career
[edit]McConkey joined the Nebraska Army National Guard in 2000 as a Medical Service Corps officer and later served as the Nebraska Guard's Chief of Aviation Medicine, holding the role of flight surgeon from 2007 to 2009.[2][6] His military medical background includes over 340 hours of flight surgeon experience in both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft. In 2007, he was deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.[2]
In 2011, McConkey transferred to the U.S. Air Force Reserve, eventually earning the rank of Colonel in 2019.[2][6] He served as a flight surgeon and Critical Care Air Transport physician, also serving for a time as Chief of Medical Staff at the 916th Aerospace Medicine Squadron.[7] As of 2025, he is serving as Commander of the 459th Aeromedical Staging Squadron at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.[7][8][9]
Alliance Public School named him to their Wall of Fame in 2022.[10][11]
In 2023, McConkey released the book Be the Weight Behind the Spear.[10][12][13] which received a Distinguished Favorite award in the “Motivational” category at the 2024 Independent Press Awards.[14][15]He also received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Chadron State College.[1]
In 2024, McConkey ran for Congress from the 13th district seat of North Carolina, but was not elected.[16][3][4][17]
In 2025, he received a People's Telly Gold Award for his work on the program A True American Hero: Dr. Josh McConkey's Journey as a Doctor, Soldier, and Leader.[18]
Since the mid 2000s, he has worked clinically as an emergency physician.[19] Previously, he also was a professor at Duke University.[20] McConkey has also served as a correspondent for news programs such as WRAL News.[21]
Personal life
[edit]McConkey is married and has three children. They reside in Apex, North Carolina.[1][3] In February 2024, he won over $757,000 in the North Carolina Education Lottery and used the funds for his political campaigns.[22][23][16]
Bibliography
[edit]- McConkey, J. (2023). Be the Weight Behind the Spear. Wisdom House Books, ISBN 979-8988172208
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Donnell, McConkey receive Distinguished Alumni Awards". www.csc.edu. 2023-10-05. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ a b c d e "Eagles notes: Chadron State homecoming game to feature hungry teams". panhandle.newschannelnebraska.com. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ a b c "McConkey vies for bid in crowded 13th-district race". The Courier-Times. 2024-02-01. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ a b "Apex doctor to use $757,000 NC lottery win to support his campaign for U.S. Congress seat". CBS17. Nexstar Media Inc. 2024-07-01. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ "McConkey selected as Alliance High School 'Wall of Fame' recipient". Panhandle Post. 2022-05-12. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ a b "304th Rescue Squadron Celebrates One of its Own". 920th Rescue Wing. Archived from the original on 2025-03-31. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ a b "Eagles notes: Chadron State homecoming game to feature hungry teams". panhandle.newschannelnebraska.com. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ "The 459th ARW hosts DHB to discuss patient movement, challenges". Air Force Reserve Command. U.S. Air Force. 2022-12-01. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ Maj. Tim Smith (September 30, 2022). "The 459th AES holds innovative medical exercise with medical squadrons, SFS". Air Force Reserve Command. U.S. Air Force. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ a b Co-Publisher, Shaun Friedrichsen (2023-03-29). "McConkey Announces Run for Congress". Alliance Times-Herald. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ "McConkey Named to Wall of Fame". Alliance Times-Herald. 2022-05-11. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ BE THE WEIGHT BEHIND THE SPEAR | Kirkus Reviews.
- ^ "Book review of Be The Weight Behind The Spear". Readers' Favorite. 2023-10-18. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ "McConkey Receives National Recognition for 'Be the Weight Behind the Spear'". Alliance Times-Herald. 2024-06-19. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ "Independent Press Award 2024 Distinguished Favorite – ISBN 9798988172208". Independent Press Award. Independent Press Award. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ a b "Apex doctor to use $757,000 NC lottery win to support his campaign". newsobserver.com. McClatchy. February 13, 2024. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
- ^ "Apex lottery winner plans to use his winnings to support U.S. Congress campaign". ABC11 Raleigh-Durham. 2024-02-06. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ "A True American Hero: Dr. Josh McConkey's Journey as a Doctor, Soldier, and Leader - 2025 People's Telly Gold Winner". Telly Awards. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ "Looking back on 20 years of RHOP with Josh McConkey, M.D." Newsroom. 2010-05-17. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ "Joshua McConkey". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ "Air Force Reserve Colonel shares steps of investigation, recovery after DC plane crash". WRAL.com. 2025-01-30. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ "Republican congressional candidate wins $700k lottery prize". The Independent. 2024-02-12. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ "An NC congressional candidate just won the lottery. Literally. | The North State Journal". nsjonline.com. 2024-02-05. Retrieved 2025-07-07.