Fox Information’ Johnny “Joey” Jones could also be a Fox Information persona now, however as soon as upon a time, he was making headlines himself after a horrific accident throughout his days as a Marine stationed in Afghanistan. Making issues much more heartbreaking, the second his life modified was captured on digital camera.  

Commercial

As many will possible know, Jones is a double amputee, and misplaced each legs after standing on an improvised explosive gadget, or IED, in 2010. A couple of months prior, he’d been interviewed by ABC’s “Nightline” and even shared some haunting phrases. “A very good day is us being bored and coaching Marines find out how to discover IEDs. A nasty day is popping out right here and doing our job, and one thing going unsuitable,” he mentioned. Jones continued to replace the reporters over the next months, and shared that issues on the bottom had grow to be much more tense. Within the days earlier than the lethal explosion, CBS Information had adopted him and his colleagues round — and heartbreakingly, the information outlet additionally captured the gut-wrenching footage of Jones and his colleague Daniel Greer being carried away on stretchers. 

Commercial

Jones has spoken to many shops concerning the quick aftermath of the explosion. Talking to “Nightline,” he recounted, “After I landed, I wasn’t feeling ache but, however I knew what had occurred. My face felt swollen robotically, and I might see my legs have been gone. So I knew that, possibly simply by the blood loss I had obtained thus far, I may not make it.” Fortunately for Jones, he did make it — and chatting with the “Nightline” reporters whereas on the Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland, he shared a heartwarmingly optimistic tackle all of it. “I did not lose my legs. I used to be given a second likelihood at life,” he mentioned. 

In fact, whereas Joey Jones was grateful to be alive, there’s additionally no query that the explosion and its aftermath have been extremely laborious on him. From a bodily standpoint, he shared that coming off the robust treatment he’d initially been prescribed, the ache was agonizing. Even so, he shared that the psychological results have been far tougher to take. Talking of the phantom pains he skilled after his amputations, he shared, “Typically it felt like somebody was twisting my foot round … making an attempt to pop it off,” including, “Phantom pains are excruciating pains, those that you could’t put a hand on it and say, ‘Oh, that hurts,’ you realize, really feel it … it is simply horrible.”

Commercial

One other horrific consequence of the blast was the information that Daniel Greer had succumbed to the accidents he sustained within the blast. A number of months after the explosion, he shared with “Nightline” that it was extremely tough for him to return to phrases together with his colleague and buddy’s tragic dying. “I take into consideration him day-after-day. And there isn’t any quantity of emotion that would ever take that away,” he shared. Jones additionally shared that he could not get previous his emotions of survivor’s guilt. “I do know I did not do something unsuitable, however possibly I did not do sufficient stuff proper,” he mused. 

Jones summed up his emotions on recovering whereas Greer wasn’t in a position to in a wonderful but devastating assertion. “Life will get simpler, the prosthetics get simpler. Understanding that Corporal Greer is gone for good would not. It by no means will. By no means,” he mentioned. 

Commercial

Within the years since Joey Jones advised “Nightline” he’d by no means recover from Daniel Greer’s dying, he joined one other information outlet in knowledgeable capability as a contributor for Fox Information. True to his phrase, although, he by no means forgot his fallen colleague. 

Commercial

In Fox Information’ 2022 commemoration of Jones’ “Alive Day,” he shifted the main target to Greer’s life. “I am the man on TV. It is easy to attract consideration to myself about my Alive Day,” he started earlier than sharing that he was formally hijacking the section to speak about Greer. Jones shared that Greer had been a brand new husband and father when he signed up for the Marine Corps Reserves. He then reiterated what occurred on that fateful day in 2010, sharing that it hadn’t been an alive day for everybody. “After I stepped on an IED, it took my legs — it took his life,” he mentioned. Jones additionally gave Greer a shout-out not only for saving his life the day of the blast however for persevering with to take action within the years that adopted. “Daniel died defending me that day, and I’ve to consider I am sitting right here studying find out how to speak for a residing ‘trigger he is nonetheless doing it,” he gushed. 

Commercial

In 2024, Jones as soon as once more used his alive day to discuss Greer and made a heartbreaking revelation. In a publish to X, beforehand generally known as Twitter, he shared, “Right this moment is a day of reflection and a few disappointment however not a celebration.” Jones wasn’t unsuitable when he mentioned he’d by no means heal from the passing of his colleague. Even so, it is extraordinarily transferring seeing how dedicated he is been to utilizing that ache to deliver fixed consideration to Greer’s sacrifice, and we’re wishing him peace.

Sadly for Joey Jones, in 2019, he misplaced one other liked one. His father handed away that December, and Jones made no secret of how heartbroken he was. 

Jones reached out to his Instagram followers on the day of his dad’s dying, asking for prayers. “He is taught me loads … I hope I’ve taught him to remain alive even after they suppose you may’t. Please pray for my daddy. I would like him for a short time longer,” he wrote, sharing a candy assortment of photographs from through the years. Sadly, it wasn’t to be, and later that day, he shared the information that his father had handed away. A couple of months later, Jones shared some really devastating particulars relating to what had occurred that day and revealed that he had witnessed his father’s dying and tried to manage first support to avoid wasting his life. “Dad died in December right here in my flooring. I did CPR on him until the paramedics bought right here and I pulled the plug on him the subsequent day,” he shared in a publish to X. 

Commercial

Over time, Jones has continued to share candy reminiscences of his dad. In 2021, he shared extra photos of them collectively to Instagram with one other heart-rending caption. The standout line? “I would like you extra now than ever,” the Fox star wrote. The next yr, on what would have been his dad’s birthday, he shared a barely funnier, but emotional nonetheless, caption. “The one factor he held tighter than a brick trowel (or a beer/cigarette) was those he liked,” Jones penned. Suffice it to say, Jones’ relationship together with his father was a decent one, and we will think about how powerful the loss was on him.

In June 2024, Joey Jones bought extremely susceptible on X, opening up about all of the losses he’d confronted over the span of 15 years. First, Jones wrote, was his grandfather, who had died when he was 22. Then, he started his army service. Although Jones has spoken extensively about how a lot Daniel Greer’s dying affected him, in his X publish, he shared that there had been many different mates who handed away whereas serving their nation. That also wasn’t all, although. 

Commercial

Jones went on to share that the exact same yr he misplaced his dad, each his maternal and paternal grandmothers died as nicely. “It has been a gentle trickle since,” he wrote. “One among my two closest uncles has a number of months left, and at present one other uncle died of a coronary heart assault,” he added. A couple of months later, he shared that the uncle who had been given months to dwell had succumbed to his sickness in an episode of “The 5.” “I bought a textual content at present from my uncle Jeff, and my dad’s greatest little brother, my uncle Troy, handed away from most cancers,” he advised viewers. Very similar to he had with Daniel Greer, Jones used his platform to shine a light-weight on his late uncle’s life, joking about how a lot taller he had been than his dad and marveling at the truth that he’d been the primary of his household to have gone to school. “We love you, Troy,” he ended his tribute. 

Commercial

Jones ended his X publish by writing, “Maybe the worst a part of ageing are these seasons of dying. From 22- 37 my complete social assemble has felt as if it is going extinct. I hope it eases quickly.” We hope so, too, and we’re holding Jones and his household in our ideas.