Fox News' Joey Jones Opens Up About Losing His Legs

Intro out of the extra out the extra [Music] of right Saving Private Ryan shocked audiences with its brutal depiction of War but for some veterans the reality was even more harrowing today we bring you the story of Johnny Joey Jones a former US Marine whose sacrifice in Afghanistan Rivals any Hollywood script from losing both his legs in combat to becoming a prominent Fox News contributor Jones's journey is one of remarkable resilience join us as we discover how one Marine transformed unimaginable loss into a platform for inspiring Millions I started my Marine Corps career as a radio technician and so I was so naive to how the military worked my only understanding of the Ring was a movie called Full Metal Jacket and in that movie the most you know Rambo guy in the movie was a combat journalist so I thought well if I got radios I'm at least that much closer I thought I was a guy talking on the radio I was a guy working on the radio and so the way I explain is a super nerdy job and uh and and I was proud that they thought I was smart enough to do it but it wasn't fun so I volunteered for everything I worked on a ship I worked behind a 50 cal machine gun in Iraq I uh was a range coach on the Range and found my way into EOD applied for it tried out for it basically they call it interviewed and uh became a part of that Brotherhood as Early Life and Enlistment well early life and enlistment Johnny Joey Jones was raised in Dalton Georgia in modest circumstances his father worked as a brick and block Mason while his mother cleaned houses to make ends meat during Summers Joey worked alongside his dad and uncles as a Brick Mason and in the fall he played football After High School he found himself at a Crossroads he decided to enlist in the Marine Corps he recalls a conversation with his high school sweetheart Meg Garrison listen I'm not joining the Marine Corps because of you but you're the only reason I would stay home she looked at me and smiled and said well have fun this exchange became a turning point for Jones showing him he needed to mature and learn to put others first I've made the trk out to a first company which is the the name of that unit and the military Works in a hierarchy usually a company is a part of a bigger unit the EOD program is so small that first company is kind of a standalone unit of less than 100 marines that provide EOD support for all ground operations for first Marine Division which is basically the west coast of Marines so that one company of when I was in about 80 Marines would handle the responsibility of EOD work for Marine Corps in Afghanistan for a whole year wow so we'd divide in half spend about 30 40 of us at a time and change over Marine Corps Career and EOD Training Marine Corps career during his eight years of service in the core Jones found his true calling as an explosive ordinance disposal technician he first encountered EOD Specialists while serving in Iraq in7 quote those Specialists were just the epitome of selflessness they're basically saying these bombs are here to kill us if somebody has to walk down there and take them apart let it be me and I love that inspired by their bravery Jones pursued EOD training which pushed him to his mental and physical limits he deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan on separate tours during his final deployment to Afghanistan Joey's team rendered safe and destroyed close to 80 IEDs along with literal tons of other unknown bulk explosives so I went over and kind of leaned over a wall to look at it and see if it were truly armed or if it had been spent and honestly I don't know what happened after that because when I leaned back I stepped on an ID it was there and uh threw me through the air really amazing experience you know I'd watched IDs blow up probably a half dozen times total with trucks or people but when it was underneath me like one there's no noise and two like everything just turns into a giant cloud and so it's a real surreal experience the The Fateful Day in Afghanistan fateful day in Afghanistan on August 6th 2010 Jones's life changed forever in Safar bizar Afghanistan as a 24-year-old bomb technician he had been engaged in a grueling 5-day operation to clear streets and buildings of IEDs the Taliban aware of the approaching forces had left behind a deadly surprise quote they left a Minefield in their wake in the hopes of inflicting as much harm on us as possible long after they Departed the night before the incident Jones tried to catch some rest beneath his truck but fate had other plans his good friend Corporal Daniel Greer woke him early the next morning requesting his help to investigate a storage unit while analyzing a flare Jones stepped on an IED the explosion was devastating it blew up underneath me I landed on my back the dust cloud went away I felt my face before anything oddly enough and so I wasn't sure if it was still there as it should be the blast resulted in the loss of both his legs above the knee and extensive damage to his right forearm and wrists as fellow Marines rushed to retrieve Jones and Greer Jones noticed that Greer showed no obvious wounds he hoped his friend had merely been rendered unconscious tragically Greer had suffered a fatal traumatic brain injury once they took me off the the the heavy pain meds from Germany um that was a horrible time the Phantom pains were often unbearable sometimes it felt like someone was twisting my foot around to where it was trying to pop it off you know those are Phantom pains those are much worse than real pain recovery and Recovery and Rehabilitation Rehabilitation Jones's road to recovery began in an Army hospital in ldo Germany when he regained Consciousness August 8th 2010 the first thought was for his friend where's Greer he asked the nurse her response was both compassionate and pivotal quote she looked at me and she smiled and said you've lost both your legs above the knee but don't worry hun you're going to walk again from Germany he was transferred to Walter Reed National military Medical Center in Bethesda Maryland here he embarked on an intense journey of physical rehabilitation that would span about 10 months the process was grueling involving not just learning to walk again but adapting to a body that had been fundamentally altered quote doctors had reattached muscles in new places so that that creates all this frustration despite the physical challenges he found his mental Outlook was his greatest asset I was never resentful that I didn't have my legs the hardest part was taking what I had and getting through the frustration and the pain to use it I was laying in a hospital bed in Germany uh two days after I got injured they woke me up uh by pulling a tube out of my throat so I was that sucked and the nurse looked at me she put a sponge on my head wet my lips with sponges I started to ask questions I couldn't quite talk she said don't worry hone you're going to walk again and in that moment I realized if this complete stranger who did not have the medical expertise to make that guarantee if she could stand there and believe in me why couldn't I believe in myself and anytime things got tough I just remembered seeing her hearing her voice and thinking you know what man she told me I was going to walk again so why not and then going to walk again became accomplishing any goal I put in front of me education and transition to civilian Education and Transition to Civilian Life life during his recovery he showed remarkable determination impressively within a year of his injury he had progressed enough to complete further education in mid 2011 he embraced A new challenge by enrolling at Georgetown University his academic Journey reached its Pinnacle in 2014 when he received his undergraduate degree from Georgetown his time there proved transformative not just for him but for the institution as well Jones initiated programs aimed at supporting student veterans creating a lasting impact that continues to benefit others he developed a peer support system at Walter Reed this program connected veterans at various stages of recovery fostering a community of mutual Aid and understanding during the rehabilitation process his dedicated advocacy for veteran issues caught the attention of policy makers he secured a position with the veteran affairs Committee in the House of Representatives this opportunity paved the way for the establishment of a recurring Fellowship for injured Marines well first Sean just let me say that whatever injuries I sustained are nothing compared to the to the pained the gold star family's gone through uh I've seen it firsthand I have an experience to thank God and my heart goes out to all of them uh the dozens that I know and the and the 13 that were just created and and everyone uh that that has lost a hero overseas career at Career at Fox News Fox News in 2019 Jones's life took another significant turn when he was hired as a contributor for Fox News initially brought on to offer insights on Veteran Affairs Jones quickly proved that his perspective and communication skills extended far beyond this realm as he explains quote I was hired as a Fox News contributor in 2019 offering opinions on Veterans Affairs but my role expanded as a sought-after voice on a variety of topics including politics and pop culture his ability to articulate complex issues and relatable terms combined with his unique life experiences made Jones a valuable asset to the network his role grew to include substitute hosting duties for popular programs like Fox and friends Fox and Friends Weekend and even the Network's Prime Time programming Jones also became the host of Fox Nation Outdoors on the network streaming service what Jones finds most rewarding about his job is the opportunity to give voice to perspectives that often go unheard in National media he explains quote I live in a small town in Georgia that has more cows than people and when I go home or I go to these towns that I like to hunt in or do speaking engagements in they look at me and they may talk with the same twang ey do and they go man thank you for saying that because that's what I think and nobody else says it that way and what I've learned is the greatest blessing I've ever had was the chance to help somebody else and to give other people the chance to help me advocacy Advocacy and Inspiring Others and inspiring others Beyond his media career Jones has dedicated himself to advocating for veterans and inspiring others through his personal story he serves on the board of directors for boot campaign a civilian founded organization that provides comp apprehensive support to Veterans the organization focuses on treating post-traumatic stress traumatic brain injuries chronic pain insomnia and substance abuse issues that many veterans face after service he's actively involved with the warrior bonfire program a nonprofit that organizes Retreats for Purple Heart recipients they provide a space for veterans to connect heal and support one another in their post-service lives he more often than not uses his platform as a public figure to raise ra awareness about veterans issues and to challenge societal perceptions of disability through public speaking engagements media appearances and his social media presence Jones continues to inspire others with his message of perseverance and positivity I was just kneeling next to him in the dirt uh next to his stretcher and I just had you know kind of hand on him and I was just talking to him he just said sir I'm so sorry I let you down which which at the time was was kind of stunning and um you know you just wasn't something I expected and you know just speaks to you know the heart and the character of of a marine like S Jones I mean that at a time when he's not even sure that he's going to make it through the helicopter ride all his thoughts are with the rest of us and the fact that he's not going to be there anymore to help us just you wonder sometimes you just where where will we find um men like that Reflections on Reflections on Service and Sacrifice service and sacrifice every year on August 6th Jones celebrates what he calls his alive day the anniversary of the the day he nearly lost his life in Afghanistan for Jones the day is not just a reminder of what he lost but a celebration of what he gained a second chance at life and A Renewed purpose quote be thankful for that and go do great things we celebrate it like a birthday every year now it's time to Outro hear from you what are your thoughts about Jones's story let us know in the comments section below