Johnny Joey Jones, a Fox News political commentator and Marine Corps veteran who lost both of his legs above the knee, has dedicated his post military service to improving the lives of fellow veterans, including those in emergency services. Following up on his New York Times bestselling book 'Unbroken Bonds Of Battle', Jones returns with 'Behind The Badge', eye opening stories from those 'answering the call to serve on America's Homefront'.
A Deep Dive into 'Behind The Badge'
Jones says research during his first book was the impetus for writing 'Behind The Badge', admitting it's something he felt compelled to do, and less a labor of love. Jones admits 'Behind The Badge' carries a singular goal he had from the very beginning: "For me, it was more about getting their stories out there." Humbly adding, "My words aren't that important in the book."
Conducting his earlier interviews, Jones wondered why so many ex-military are drawn to careers as first responders. "I've pondered this question for a while. For myself, if I hadn't gone into the Marine Corps, I probably would have been a firefighter because I'm programmed that way. I think that's the way it is for people getting out of the military." He explains further: "Once you've been indoctrinated into the military it's difficult to separate that way of life. And it doesn't matter what you do in the military. Everyone's job is intricate even if you're a janitor."
The Unseen Battles of First Responders
Sadly, most people fail to realize what first responders deal with. "That's a long list, and I hope my book shines a light on that." Using an anecdote from the book, 'the worst day of our lives are just another day on the job for first responders'." Jones dives deeper to explain: "To think they are somewhat jaded and don't at times let their emotions get the best of them is not true." He uses an apt example to further drive home his point: "That same intersection near where you live, or take your kids to school is the very same intersection a fireman or police officer witnessed a deadly accident the night before. We take it for granted, that if we are in a car wreck or our house is on fire someone will be there. We don't appreciate all they go through on a daily basis."
Jones adds that while PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) is more attached to the military, first responders deal with it on a regular basis. "They see things they can't un-see. Things you and I don't want to see. When I was in the military and at war, the carnage was mostly troops." Due to their jobs, police, fire, and rescue suffer the same mental health conditions. And physical location doesn't exempt them from it. "First responders, it's their job to deal with situations that are uncomfortable, often horrific. It doesn't matter if they work in a big city like New York or in a po-dunk town, they will deal with situations much like the military that stay with them."
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Given the whole movement to 'defund the police' and a fraction of society who have a disdain for the blue, Jones says police officers have to remain alert on the job. "They have increased muscle memory." He explains further: "They roll into situations not knowing how it will turn out. Let's say nine out of ten times they pull someone over and it goes routinely. They give a ticket and go on their way. Then there's that one out of ten times where the person tries to back over them, or jumps out of the car and gets in their face, or worse pulls a gun. Police officers are in a constant sense of being surrounded by danger."
One of the most compelling stories in 'Behind The Badge' chronicles Katelyn Kotfila who comes from a long line of family members wearing the blue. Despite majoring with a degree in psychology, she adamantly declared 'there's no way I'm becoming a cop' (page 98). "Katelyn was assigned as my personal security along with her chief. She was in uniform, and actually I didn't really need security, so I had her join me at the table and we talked. I had to pull it out of her, and of course she replied 'are you sure you want to hear it'." One of Jones' favorite stories in his new book comes from Justin Heflin. His is one of several that comes full circle in 'Behind The Badge'. "Much like Katelyn's, Justin's story moves me. It's one of those compelling stories that inspired the whole mission to write the first book, and too write 'Behind The Badge'. Even though his dad fell from grace, Justin followed in his dad's footsteps." Katelyn's and Justin's accounts are two of nine stories in the book.
Jones didn't have to go far to find the people profiled in 'Behind The Badge'. "Half of the nine I know well. Several from childhood." Although they served in different areas, Jones and Heflin were Marine OED (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) Techs. "I've known him for more than a decade and we share a similar military background." Jones says it was a bit challenging and heartbreaking to discover all those profiled in 'Behind The Badge' dealt with. "Because I know several of them on a personal level it was somewhat awkward at first. It's hard to read their thoughts." If you want to gain a stronger respect for first responders and the situations they face on a daily basis, I urge people to read it.
Published by Fox News Books in cooperation with Harper Collins, 'Behind The Badge: Answering The Call To Service On America's Homefront' was released on June 17th and is available through several online retailers and local bookstores. Author Johnny Joey Jones has been awarded the Purple Heart, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with combat Valor device, Combat Action Ribbon and Outstanding Military Community Service Medal along with various campaign and unit awards.
Sacrifice and Service: The Heart of the Matter
Imagine an America without first responders and ask yourself if that’s a country in which you’d want to live? That is both the cautionary tale and the lament of Behind the Badge, Answering the Call to Serve on America’s Homefront by Johnny Joey Jones. Jones is the insightful Fox News contributor and best-selling author of Unbroken Bonds of Battle, who lost his legs to an improvised explosive device while serving as a Marine bomb tech in Afghanistan. Sacrifice is personal for Jones, so is his desire to tell the stories of others who serve for causes greater than their own. In Behind the Badge, Jones chronicles the stories of firefighters, police officers, border patrol agents, game wardens, sheriffs and dispatchers who all deliver lifelines to those in need and protect us from the calamity and evil of modern society. Behind the Badge: Answering the Call to Serve on America’s Homefront is the 15th title from FOX News Books.
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The book is especially an antidote to the pendulum swing against law enforcement that began more than a decade ago with chants of defund the police. How America so often whiplashes from one sentiment to another-celebrating the remarkable heroism of the 9-11 responders to denigrating law enforcement across the country after isolated incendiary body cam clips-speaks to the ability of media and others to fan the flames of contempt. As A.D. Ryan famously wrote, “It takes years to build trust, but only seconds to lose it.”
Before we lose hope, however, Jones reminds us of the untold sacrifice that is inherent in those who serve. That is, one dash cam clip is not-or shouldn’t be-enough to render a verdict in the court of public opinion on all who serve. Jones sees the world through the eyes of his chosen first responders, describing how the mere act of a police officer taking his family to dinner can be a trip down an unwanted memory lane, “…they drive through their battlefields: intersections where they have responded to terrible wrecks and worse.”
Behind the Badge shares memorable stories of dramatic rescues, heart-wrenching losses and awe-inspiring acts of courage by first responders. Jones delves into how these men and women continue to go to work even though they are confronted with worst-case scenarios each day.
In a world so often measured in likes and clicks, the fact that we still have individuals--and often entire families-- willing to serve against a backdrop of antagonism is a gift we must never take for granted. Behind the Badge is a reminder of how endearing that service should be to all of us. Jones shares the harrowing night his father lay listless on the floor in his home. Jones and his sister performed CPR until the paramedics arrived. They kept his father alive long enough for Jones to say goodbye the next day before his father passed. A few weeks later a fire department commander on duty the night of his father’s collapse saw Jones and inquired how his father fared after taking him to the hospital. The fact that the commander showed genuine remorse for not being able to save his father left a lasting impression on Jones. “How much of that kind of trauma can one man or woman carry?” he thought, for they deal with this kind of loss constantly. What he’s really asking all of us to ponder is what kind of person makes heartbreak a career choice? Maybe the answer is too individual, too personal to know…but thank heaven they do.
“At some point, this job is going to hit home. Something is going to physically, spiritually, or emotionally break you,” says Clay Headrick, a firefighter Jones features in Behind. Headrick detailed an early call where a young child had been run over by a truck in front of his parents. The emotion of the hysterical parents and seeing the child in the road was too much for Headrick to bear in the moment. Nothing at the academy could have prepared him for the horror of the incident. The fact that he had small children of his own and the thought of something like this happening to them was simply overwhelming. That call nearly ended his career.
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Many first responders are fed a steady diet of grief and trauma, a reality of their chosen profession. It comes with sleepless nights, counseling sessions and, sadly, suicide and divorce rates that are far higher than the national average. Suffering in silence is never listed in job descriptions, but it is the norm for too many of them. Actors sometimes say they lose themselves in dark roles, the fear being that it’s difficult to extract a soul when tempting Satan’s grasp. For cops in our most dangerous cities, however, life isn’t an act, it’s the gritty reality that some communities are crumbling under failed leadership and the thin blue line is all that stands between them and the abyss. Searing memories of life and death struggles can be part of everyday life for first responders.
Behind the Badge gets at the heart of people who run into burning buildings when others run out. It chronicles a game warden’s efforts to find the body of a missing girl in frigid waters and shows what it’s like to live in someone’s darkest hour. Throughout the book, Jones offers personal accounts and parenthetical thoughts on each of the profiled responders, people he has known for varying periods of time. The book recounts police officers who often witness the horrors of domestic abuse, familial homicides, rape and the like as they live on the front lines of good versus evil. They respond because no one else will--long after the angels have left. Sheriff Mark Lamb offers the realization that most people don’t see a person, they see the uniform, a badge and a gun. Jones introduces us to those people behind the badge and reminds us that we better pray we never lose them.
Jones' Weight Loss Journey: A Parallel Battle
In conjunction with his work honoring first responders, Jones has also undertaken a personal journey of transformation. On June 1, 2018, Jones started his weight-loss journey. He was a morbidly-obese 280 pounds then. Three hundred and sixty-five days later, he defined his journey as being complete. The thing that gave it a profound sense of finality was the passing of his mother, who died the very next day. The day before, at his final weigh-in, he was 189. He had dropped 91 pounds in a year! He had gone from a stretched-out 42-inch waist size to a falling-off-of-me 33! Early on in his journey, he started writing this book. It was how he did his research. It's how he got better at doing the diet. He learned so much about how to better take care of his health. He believes that he's found many of the answers that we've all been searching for.