Even after a near-death experience, Johnny Joey Jones remains ready for action

Even after a near-death experience, Johnny Joey Jones remains ready for action

Everyone has a birthday, but not everyone has an Alive Day. Staff Sergeant Johnny Joey Jones does, and that day is August 6, 2010. This week began with 300 U.S. Marines being sent to take control of a city in Afghanistan.

“We identified a building that we had to take, which meant we had to take the whole village,” Jones said. His job was to work as an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) technician, which meant he had to search for bombs that might have been planted underground. They later found that the enemy had hidden over 200 bombs before leaving the city. After five days of clearing buildings and streets, they made great progress. Then on August 6, Jones was awakened by reserve engineer Daniel Greer, who told him he was needed to investigate a building.

“I got up, got dressed, it was literally across the street from the area we had set up,” he said. They found a new type of improvised explosive device (IED) and each new type of weapon had to be reported and documented so that their allies and comrades were aware.

"I was getting people to help me with this and I stepped on an IED that I didn't know was there."

As a result of the explosion, Jones lost both legs above the knee and suffered damage to both wrists and his right forearm. Greer lost his life. While the mission would eventually be completed, Jones faced his own problems. He was immediately transported away to seek medical attention and his sole focus going forward was recovery and rehabilitation.

"The physical healing of closing the holes, reattaching the muscles and everything else took about three months. Then I went to Walter Reed (Hospital) to learn how to use the prosthetics."

In February 2011, he was able to walk with prosthetics and in July of that year he was working on Capitol Hill. At some point during his recovery, he was the subject of a segment on ABC Nightline and he shared a statement that showed how mentally strong he really was.

"I told them I didn't lose both legs. I was given a second chance at life."

Johnny Joey Jones has expanded his influence nationwide

Jones may not have known what his fate would be when he joined the Marines, but he knew he was destined for something other than his hometown. Jones grew up in the Northwest and his family was no stranger to military service. His great-grandfather was a Marine and he had six uncles who were drafted into the military. He said they didn't discuss much about what they did during that time, but they knew they were at least in the military. Jones had no big plans to join the Marines or any other branch of the military, but two of his friends had fathers who served in the military. One was on active duty in the Air Force in Arkansas, the other was their football coach and a reserve Marine.

“I was influenced by these guys, and when I graduated high school, Chris went to college, Keith went to work, and I was trying to figure out what to do,” he remembers. “Keith actually recruited me to join him in the Marine Corps.”

It wasn't just her influence that helped him make this decision. Neither of his parents graduated from high school, yet they did everything they could to make sure he made it. Jones felt it was a gift that he could do more with.

"For me, there was more to accomplish than working an hourly job. The Marine Corps became my way of doing more."

In April 2005, Jones headed to boot camp, but by 2007 he was already on his first tour in Iraq in a security role. When he returned from that mission, he applied to be an EOD technician and got the job. After completing school for this position, he was deployed to Afghanistan in March 2010 where he experienced his Alive Day.

Johnny Joey Jones uses the weight room for physical and mental strength

Despite everything he had been through up to that point, Jones never gave up and remained selfless. He strives to surpass himself and others. He discovered that over 50 technicians had been sent to Walter Reed, and he knew 13 of them by their first names. He believed that the harder you work for others, the harder you work for yourself. He wanted to do everything he could to offer them his support so they could move forward like he did. He also participated in a mentorship program, which he said helped keep him connected to what he called “the other end of the tunnel.”

"I personally wanted to visit these guys and tell them what to expect, especially since you move locations after physical recovery. Within the first few months of wearing prosthetics, I realized there was something to do and I was able to proactively show these guys and gals what they had to offer."

Another component that helped Jones both mentally and physically was training and fitness. He combined training with hard work in a good way. He remembered that his father worked as a bricklayer and they were poor and had to work a lot to make ends meet. He doesn't train to achieve a certain look, but rather to be prepared for the challenges ahead.

Jones said, “There’s only one way to get things done, and that’s to do it.” It was part of the culture I grew up in. You didn’t have to look good, but you better be strong.”

He wasn't introduced to the weight room until he played football in high school, but he immediately felt a strong connection, and that connection remains with him to this day.

"I've always found this to be crucial for my mental health. If I didn't exercise for a week, I didn't feel right."

Johnny Joey Jones is a voice for veterans

Jones’ story and his work to make a difference have inspired many Americans. Jones has been writing for Fox News since 2019 and has hosted numerous programs on the network and Fox Nation. Jones didn't expect to have a platform of this magnitude to make an impact, but while he had it, he wanted to make a difference.

“It is very important to me to stand up for other people in the same position as me,” he explained. "I became a member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee and was heard by the right people. From then on, I had the opportunity to attend various events, and I met a producer at Fox named Jen Williams, who is no longer here. She had produced a show and invited me to be on it."

Thanks to this first opportunity, Jones has been active in raising awareness on a variety of issues and advocating for veterans and families. He wanted to shine a spotlight on others who made their own great commitments and sacrifices for freedom. His new book,Unbroken bonds of battle,tells the stories of other veterans such as Staff Sergeant Nate Boyer, Captain (ret.) Wesley Hunt and Gold Star Wife Stacy Greer, among others, on behalf of her late husband. His goal for the book is the same as everything he has done before: to make a difference for those who desperately need it.

"We all need help and inspiration. I realized that the story to be told wasn't about what happened to me, but about the people who helped me through it. The guardian angels I didn't know were angels then, the people without whom I couldn't have told a story. They all had a profound impact on my life and they all helped me."

Johnny Joey Jones wants people reading this book to think beyond what is written on the pages. The people featured had a profound impact on him, which is why he wanted to help tell their stories to the world, but he hopes the reader finishes reading it wondering who these ten people would be in their lives.

“You may not know them as well as others, but the way you know them is and should be very important to you.”

You can orderUnbroken bonds of battleat Fox News Books.

Follow Jones on Instagram @johnny_joey.