Jim Powell sits down with Joey Jones, a Marine Corps veteran, motivational speaker, and Fox News contributor. Joey shares his incredible story of overcoming injuries from stepping on an IED while serving in Afghanistan. The conversation delves into his recovery, personal growth, and the lessons learned through faith, family, and resilience. Joey also discusses his book Unbroken Bonds of Battle, his passion for sports, and the pivotal role of relationships in his life.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• [01:14] Joey discusses joining the Marine Corps and his early deployments.
• [02:52] Joey explains his decision to become an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technician.
• [04:37] Joey recounts stepping on an IED in Afghanistan and losing both legs.
• [06:11] The benchmarks in Joey's physical recovery, including walking with prosthetics.
• [09:32] Joey talks about his book Unbroken Bonds of Battle and its success.
• [12:45] Joey reflects on the role of faith in his recovery process.
• [15:07] Joey discusses his deep passion for sports, especially the Braves and Bulldogs.
• [17:30] Joey's experience working with musician Zac Brown and his role in veteran programming.
• [21:57] “Get Off My Lawn” segment with a Derrick from Houston, Texas,  submission about Caitlin Clark.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Joey’s journey from injury to physical independence in under a year is a testament to his determination and willpower.
• Joey emphasizes the importance of friendships and support systems, from his family to fellow veterans and celebrities like Zac Brown.
• Joey's faith and sense of duty to his family fueled his recovery, pushing him to live life fully despite his injuries.
• Joey uses his platform to advocate for veterans and share his story, helping others find strength and resilience in their own struggles.

ABOUT THE GUEST: 

Combat-wounded Staff Sergeant (Ret.) Johnny "Joey" Jones turned a traumatic, life-changing disability into a personal mission to improve the lives of all veterans and share the life-changing perspective and gratitude he found in his recovery. Jones is a contributor across all FOX News Media platforms, including FNC, FOX Business Network (FBN) and FOX Nation. He is a fill-in host for several hit shows including the Fox and Friends franchise, The Five and the primetime show Fox News Tonight. 

Jones' easy rapport with and genuine concern for people of all walks of life has led to a long list of speaking opportunities. His message focuses on overcoming adversity, finding a positive perspective in dire situations, leaning on those around you, and finding strength in yourself and your community. Rather it be on live television, in writing, or speaking to a live audience, Joey's genuine demeanor, thoughtful approach and innate humor allow him to masterfully connect with people on a gamut of issues. He simply believes we all need the opportunity to remind ourselves what we’re capable of overcoming, the value we bring to others and the necessity to build strong relationships with our teams, family, and community. 

Known to his friends as 'Triple J,' Jones was raised in Dalton, Georgia and enlisted in the Marine Corps after high school.  During his eight years of service, he worked as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (bomb) Technician, deploying to both Iraq and Afghanistan on separate tours.  During his last deployment to Afghanistan, Jones’ team rendered safe and destroyed more than 80 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) along with thousands of pounds of other unknown bulk explosives. It was during that tour on August 6, 2010, when he stepped on and initiated an IED, resulting in the loss of both of his legs above the knee and severe damage to his right forearm and both wrists. He recovered at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Washington D.C.

Determined to make the road to recovery easier for his fellow wounded veterans, Jones founded a peer visit program at Walter Reed, providing opportunities for others recovering to mentor and encourage newly injured patients. His dedication and relentlessness led to an unprecedented year-long fellowship on Capitol Hill with the House of Representatives Veterans' Affairs Committee. His work resulted in the creation of an annual fellowship for a wounded Marine. 

During his recovery, Jones took classes on campus at Walter Reed. After regaining full physical independence in July 2011, just ten months after his injury, Jones sought the best possible education and enrolled at Georgetown University. He completed his education in May 2014. His time at Georgetown fostered relationships and efforts that are still changing the lives of veteran students on campus today.

After losing his childhood best friend to PTSD-related suicide in 2012, Jones decided to make veterans’ issues a key part his professional work. Throughout his post-service career, he has carefully fostered relationships with key players in politics and media in an effort to keep those issues at the forefront of discussion. He has shared his experiences and insights on the challenges facing active duty and retired service members at the White House with then President Obama and former President George W. Bush. He has also visited with multiple cabinet officials and military generals; and still enjoys a close personal and working relationship with current Marine Corps leaders. He remains active in politics as an advocate on veteran and military issues.  

Jones’ deployment, injury and subsequent recovery were documented on ABC Nightline and CBS Evening News. His family’s colorful past as moonshiners and race car drivers was featured in the premiere episode of the hit series “Religion of Sports”. On the big screen, Jones has a speaking role in the Academy Award-winning film "Lincoln," he appeared in the independent film, "Range 15" and was a technical advisor for the independent film "Bad Hurt."

Jones’ first book, which made the New York Times best-selling list “Unbroken Bonds of Battle” was released on June 27, 2023. This book offers deep insight into the relationships and events that forged Jones’ outlook on life. Jones’ does so by interviewing 10 heroes who each played an important part in his life and recovery, as well as their own story. You’ll find gold star family members, childhood best friends, professional athletes, politicians, and wounded warriors all with an enlightening take on how to get through hardships. 

Prior to joining FOX News, Jones helped design and pilot a Warrior Week military transition program as the senior advisor to military programming at Zac Brown’s Camp Southern Ground. 

Jones currently serves on the Board of Directors for the national nonprofit Boot Campaign, which serves the health and wellness of the veteran community through a pipeline of treatment resources.

Jones resides near Newnan, Georgia, just outside Atlanta, with his wife Meg, his son Joseph, their daughter Margo and two dogs Chief and Tucker. 

In his spare time, Jones is a novice woodworker, an avid hunter, and dedicated college football and Atlanta Braves fan. Go Dawgs, and God Bless America!

RESOURCE LINKS 

X: https://x.com/Jim_Powell

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-powell-38715a5/

Website: Fansfirstpodcast.com 

Joey Jones Book: https://www.foxnews.com/books/unbroken-bonds-of-battle

Joey Jones Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnny_joey/?hl=en

Jim Powell: Welcome to fans first a sports [00:00:35] podcast. My name is Jim Powell. I'm proud to be your host today. And we are honored to have a guest [00:00:40] today. That is truly a special human being. His name is Joey Jones. He's [00:00:45] an Atlanta native, born in Atlanta, uh, raised in Dalton and still lives in the area [00:00:50] up in the Noonan area.

Really, really pleased and honored to have you here.

Jim Powell: Totally [00:01:30] understand. You nearly lost your life as a member of the [00:01:35] Marine Corps. Um, I think you went into the Marines directly out of high school and, uh, [00:01:40] you had a couple of deployments, you know, in some hot spots. Um, you were in the bomb [00:01:45] disposal part of the, uh, Marine Corps. Did you get, did they rope you into that or did you volunteer for [00:01:50] that?

Was that something you sought out?

I haven't done that most of my young life. And, [00:02:10] uh, the Marine Corps actually looked like a way to maybe even work a little less. And so, [00:02:15] but, uh, I really, it kind of likened to my football experiences and I like the, being [00:02:20] out in the heat and doing that kind of stuff. So I joined the Marine Corps originally as a communications [00:02:25] technician.

So quickly decided that wasn't really the Marine Corps [00:02:45] experience I wanted. I kept raising my hand for different things, have some great opportunities and experiences, [00:02:50] um, ended up going to combat in 2007. And while I was there in Iraq, I learned about [00:02:55] EOD, Explosive Ordnance Disposal. And every service treats that job field [00:03:00] differently, but with every service, it's a hundred percent volunteer.

Uh, the job field itself has full autonomy over who gets to do it. [00:03:25] And so it was a way to do something special, something unique, and also something that I knew [00:03:30] those skill sets would be needed, um, with or without a war. And, uh, it was really fun [00:03:35] time.

I mean, I, [00:03:45] I've read it multiple times and I still can't quite believe that this isn't a fairy tale of some sort. [00:03:50] Obviously, lots of, lots of parts of it had nothing to do with being a fairy tale, but, [00:03:55] um, you deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan on separate tours. On your last Afghanistan [00:04:00] deployment on.

And [00:04:20] that was not, luckily for all of us, a part of your spirit. Um, you're a special [00:04:25] man. You willed yourself to full physical independence in ten months [00:04:30] time. What were you in such a hurry to get to next?

So I was injured in August, 2010. [00:04:45] I mean, I had a great. Group of people supporting me, my now wife, Meg, my mom, my [00:04:50] sister, uh, good friends. The job field of EOD is small, but unfortunately a lot of us were injured [00:04:55] around that time, so I had friends that I was recovering with, so it was an optimal [00:05:00] situation with the best doctors to, uh, to try and make that happen.

And started working full [00:05:25] time in June, sometime between February and June. Um, we've, you know, arrived at, [00:05:30] uh, full independence, physical independence. And, uh, I was just in a hurry to find out what was [00:05:35] next. I wasn't going to lay brick and block for a living like my dad did anymore. And I wasn't going to be a Marine [00:05:40] bomb tech anymore, but I wanted to be able to earn a living and have a career and most importantly, [00:05:45] provide for my family.

Joey Jones: for no good reason other than it's such a slow progress, there wasn't one day.

And then after you heal, you're still on [00:06:25] medication. You might even still be on an IB during that time. So you have what's called a catheter, uh, in, [00:06:30] in your body. And so the first benchmark was I got all the cords [00:06:35] and cables out of me, but the catheter needed to come out. So, uh, in that [00:06:40] process of, um, Being able to urinate on my own.

I just had little short [00:07:00] ones on what called stubbies. And it's just to get your core going and get you used to the motion of standing up. [00:07:05] And I thought, you know what? I'm going to try this. So I walked into the bathroom and I was able to use the restroom. And so I [00:07:10] was so excited. Uh, I swung the door open.

From there, you'll use a [00:07:35] walker, from there two canes, from there one cane, and then walk on your own. And I made a [00:07:40] bet with my physical therapist that if I could go straight to two canes, The [00:07:45] day I put my pros, my full prosthetics on, he let me leave wearing them. And he [00:07:50] did that 'cause he didn't think it was possible.

And I proceeded to just. Fall like a ragdoll all [00:08:15] evening long, but I was on full length prosthetic. So those are the two days and [00:08:20] benchmarks that probably mean the most in being injured like I was. [00:08:25] Anniversary you celebrate, you call your alive day, which is the day you were injured. It's the day you stayed alive.[00:08:30]

Jim Powell: Understood. It's amazing the things you've been able [00:09:00] to accomplish in a relatively short time since then, um, featured on ABC [00:09:05] Nightline. I mean, your story is so compelling. It's not like we're the first ones to figure that out. [00:09:10] Um, ABC Nightline beat us to it. CBS Evening News beat us to it. Um, you [00:09:15] wrote your first book.

Joey Jones: Yeah. The book was really fun project. Uh, [00:09:35] like you said, my story was told through different media outlets early on, and it was because I had [00:09:40] such a. And important and kinetic is what we call it. Job reporters would [00:09:45] show up in Afghanistan. And if we weren't engaged in battle shooting at each [00:09:50] other, the only way to get some energy about the reporting was to go out with the bomb techs and watch us [00:09:55] blow stuff up.

Um, and so [00:10:20] in, in the 10 years after that, I learned to public speak, [00:10:25] tell my story, most importantly, I learned to advocate for things I believed in, to include those that were injured and [00:10:30] were struggling with the bureaucracy of it all. That got me involved in politics, and over [00:10:35] those years, people said, you should tell your story, you should tell your story.

Um, And the idea was to write a book about the relationships forced in [00:11:10] serving in the military and how that gets you through stuff. So profile 10 individuals, nine veterans, all [00:11:15] of which I've known for a decade or more. And one gold star wife, whose husband was with me and was [00:11:20] killed when I was injured.

We, uh, I think the highest we made it was to [00:11:50] number four on the New York times, but in gross numbers, we sold. Twice as [00:11:55] many as number one. So for I think 14 of 16 weeks, we were really doing [00:12:00] well and it's continued to sell because people really resonate with

That's definitely, I don't have the book yet, [00:12:10] but I will. Shortly. So I'm looking forward to reading that copy. You don't have to give [00:12:15] me a freebie. I'll, I'll, I'll buy another one, get you higher up on the list. No problem at all. [00:12:20] Um, I, I have to ask you that. I hope I'm not prying here and tell me if I am, but [00:12:25] how much, I mean, your story is so remarkable, your resiliency, your [00:12:30] will, Um, to never quit, never feel sorry for yourself.

Joey Jones: Yeah. So faith is an important part. Um, I'll say that, uh, every time I tell my [00:12:50] story, I talk about saying the Lord's prayer with the first Marine that got to me to try and help [00:12:55] patch me up.

You never really felt like part of your community. You're a part of the Marine Corps, wherever it is. [00:13:20] And so faith stayed important, uh, more than, uh, a specific [00:13:25] denomination or religion. And for me, uh, I think the most important part [00:13:30] of my recovery, uh, was to know that I had a responsibility [00:13:35] to my family and regardless of.

And I think that's in large part why a lot of my [00:14:10] recovery was geared around helping others. I think that my buddy Jake once told me [00:14:15] that charity is the most selfish thing you can do because ultimately you do it because it makes you feel better. And, uh, [00:14:20] and that's 100 percent true. My recovery was easier because I wanted to be able to walk [00:14:25] well, so I can walk into a room with a guy that was just injured and show him that he could [00:14:30] once, uh, or someday walk again.

Jim Powell: [00:14:45] That's amazing. That is amazing. Selfless, uh, selflessness in this day and age is hard [00:14:50] to find. So, uh, very admirable. I want to ask you about, since this is a sports [00:14:55] podcast, we've got to work in some sports.

Joey Jones: thankfully I don't have [00:15:10] to only root for one of them. I'd say that, um, that difference, so I grew up and my dad was more [00:15:15] of a Braves fan than a Bulldogs or Falcons.

So by high school, the [00:15:40] Bulldogs were a big part of my fandom. And when you join the military, especially in the Marine Corps, I think, because [00:15:45] there is a lot of bravado and we play football for fun in the Marine Corps, you know, for PT, so [00:15:50] there's a lot of culture that wraps itself around the Where you're from and what you like [00:15:55] doing.

It had a lot of highs and [00:16:15] lows, which college football. Um, and so I, I'd say that was the [00:16:20] definitive year in my, um, journey to be a real, not super [00:16:25] fan, but dedicated fan. Um, and then, you know, we've been blessed with these curvy, smart [00:16:30] years, of course, and, uh, the Braves have been doing all right, too.

Like, thank goodness I'm alive for the Kirby Smart Era, because it's, uh, [00:16:45] it's a lot of fun.

And, uh, finally Kirby got us to the [00:17:00] promised land. So I appreciate both of them and both their tenures.

In this case, I want to ask you about somebody that has nothing to do with sports, [00:17:20] but it's something that someone I think is very important to you. And that is Zach Brown. [00:17:25] What can you tell us about Zach Brown and what he's done for you in your life? Yeah. Zach [00:17:30] played

Joey Jones: a pivotal role in my life. Um, we're still friends.

And so I got involved with what's called, uh, Kemp Southern [00:18:00] Ground down in Fayetteville, Georgia. I live up in Calhoun now. And in [00:18:05] 2016, the nonprofit I was involved in was moving from where I lived in Texas to Dallas. [00:18:10] And, uh, my wife and I decided, Hey, if we're going to move or work virtually, let's move [00:18:15] back home.

You can run for president out of my shop. He's like, [00:18:35] but I don't want to put you in contact with management. Cause that's just a can of worms. You don't want to have to open up. And, uh, he, [00:18:40] it was, he was wise even beyond his own ears with that. Um, I went to work for him in [00:18:45] 2016 and, um, we developed the veterans programming at camp Southern ground.

Uh, the veterans programming that exists there today is not the same thing I created, but, uh, [00:19:15] the offspring of it. And, um, And that led to me joining Fox News [00:19:20] in essentially a full time role in 2019 and leaving Southern Ground. But I want to tell you about [00:19:25] Zach is that a lot of people know, uh, Superman.

And, uh, and he's a very [00:19:45] generous person in the sense that he invests in people. Uh, and he invested in me, paid for me to move [00:19:50] out here, gave me a job and salary, allowed me to continue to pursue my, my, [00:19:55] um, television career and, uh, and really played a pivotal role in any success I [00:20:00] can, uh, I can, uh, take, uh, responsibility for.

Um, it's been a joy to have you with us. I hope we [00:20:30] can get you back someday.

But my sister told me yesterday when I was recovering in [00:20:50] Walter Reed, and I guess I was still pretty, pretty heavily sedated. Uh, A Rod came and was signing [00:20:55] baseballs and giving them away. He gave me a baseball and my reaction was, well, it's not Chipper [00:21:00] Jones, but I guess it'll do. And, uh, I had a chance to tell Chipper that last night.

Jim Powell: always there. We were, we were supposed to have Chipper on last week, but he was, he was in a [00:21:15] deer stand because the hunting season was underway. So we'll have to, we'll have to book him in the future as [00:21:20] well.

So, [00:21:50] well, we have reached the part of this. Show that I enjoy the most, and I think a lot of other people do too, [00:21:55] based on the feedback we're getting, and that is Get Off My Lawn. Hey! [00:22:00] Get off my lawn! We have fans offer submissions through [00:22:05] video, or through text, or through audio, and they give an opinion, or [00:22:10] something funny, or Insightful.

RIng the Bell Guest: 2024 has had a lot of, [00:22:30] uh, cases of, uh, dudes wanting to go compete against girls. But, uh, I've [00:22:35] got one case here where we're talking about a girl in a league of her own, right up there with the [00:22:40] Michael Jordans, the Tiger Woods, the Roger Federer, so good.

Jim Powell: Well, [00:23:05] well, you hear the ringing of the bell? That means somebody has an opinion that has been knocked [00:23:10] out of the park. Spot on is Derek from Houston, Texas, [00:23:15] praising Caitlin Clark, not only as being a great basketball player, that's, that's self evident. I can't wait to I [00:23:20] have coached a lot of girls basketball myself.

And I'm sure. Many other things we're not even aware of. So [00:23:45] congratulations to Caitlin Clark. You are a strong lady. You are a great basketball player. And thank [00:23:50] you again to Derek from Houston, Texas for this outstanding opinion you shared with us on [00:23:55] Fans First. Well, thanks to our very special guest, Joey Jones on [00:24:00] our Fans First, a sports podcast today.

It really does make a [00:24:25] big difference. Don't forget about our fans first website at fansfirstpodcast. [00:24:30] com to be included as a guest on an episode, send your audio file. Video [00:24:35] file or written memo to Jim at fansfirstpodcast. com. [00:24:40] Please keep your submissions to no more than 45 seconds in length. We want you to be a part of our [00:24:45] show.

Voice Over: stay tuned, stay passionate and keep celebrating the sport you [00:25:00] love. Visit us at fansfirstpodcast. com to explore [00:25:05] more, sign up for our newsletter to receive exclusive updates, and follow the podcast on [00:25:10] social media to join our growing community of sports enthusiasts. Your voice [00:25:15] matters to us, so don't hesitate to share your thoughts and connect with fellow [00:25:20] fans.