Fox News host Johnny “Joey” Jones declared he had “unfinished business” as he reenlisted in the United States Marine Corps.
At the Pentagon on Wednesday, the formerly retired staff sergeant was sworn in during a ceremony led by former Fox News colleague and current Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
“The last job I had in uniform — my job was to get better. It was to heal. It’s a very selfish thing. My job was to heal. The Marine Corps paid me to get better, and then I retired. And there’s nothing wrong with that, but it was unfinished business,” Jones said.
🚨 AWESOME! SecWar Pete Hegseth just REENLISTED Joey Jones to the Marine Corps
JONES: “I’m doing it because I have a debt left to give… It means the world to me to be here to finish the story that I started writing twenty-one years ago.”
PATRIOT. 🇺🇸👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/Z05OtUMhou
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 20, 2026
Jones served eight years in the Marine Corps and “was deployed twice, suffering a life-changing injury while deployed in Afghanistan as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal technician. The 2010 IED-related incident resulted in the loss of both of his legs and severe damage to his right forearm and both wrists,” Fox News reported.
He spent two years recovering at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.
Double amputee Johnny “Joey” Jones reenlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps.
He was sworn back in at the Pentagon by Secretary Pete Hegseth.
More than 20 years later, he says he returned to “finish the story” and repay a remaining “debt.”
God bless this American patriot. pic.twitter.com/ieHAGuhm1K
— America First Policy Institute (@A1Policy) May 21, 2026
“If there’s an opportunity for me to serve, there’s no reason why a no-legged 40-year-old staff sergeant should be able to put the uniform on, other than these men believed it. And the goal here is to open that door for anyone else that has something left to give,” the 39-year-old said in a speech following the ceremony.
Jones will still be co-hosting “The Big Weekend Show” and will “provide military analysis across all FOX News Media platforms,” the network noted.
Earlier today, @SECWAR administered the reenlistment of Staff Sergeant @Johnny_Joey at the Hall of Heroes in the Pentagon. pic.twitter.com/TjOsGRsMyl
— Department of War 🇺🇸 (@DeptofWar) May 21, 2026
“I don’t think there’s a better spokesman for the Marine Corps, understanding what it’s all about, what it means to serve, the brotherhood that exists then, than how Joey talks about it on television so that the American people understand it and connect to it in a visceral way,” Hegseth said of Jones. “If you spend any time with them, which I know a lot of you have, you know it’s in his bones. It’s in his heart and soul, wearing that uniform.”
“Semper Fi means that for him every day,” Hegseth continued. “He’s just a good human being who does the right things for the right reasons. And when I first got word that he was interested in getting back in uniform, it actually didn’t surprise me.”
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.
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