Johnny “Joey” Jones officially reenlisted in the United States Marine Corps during a Pentagon ceremony Wednesday, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth personally swearing him back into service.
Jones, a former Marine staff sergeant and explosive ordnance disposal technician, previously served eight years in the Marine Corps and completed two deployments to Afghanistan. In 2010, he lost both legs and suffered severe injuries to his right forearm and wrists after stepping on an improvised explosive device while serving in Afghanistan.
Speaking during the ceremony inside the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes, Jones said he felt he had “unfinished business” after medically retiring while recovering from his combat injuries. “The last job I had in uniform — my job was to get better,” Jones said, explaining that he wanted to prove disabled veterans still have meaningful ways to serve.
Mediaite went on to detail what the future looks like for the newly enlisted Jones:
Fox News reported that despite his re-enlistment, Jones will continue his role as co-host of The Big Weekend Show while also serving as a military analyst across the network’s platforms.
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“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,” Jones said. “And the goal here is to open that door for anyone else that has something left to give.”
Hegseth, a former Fox News personality himself before joining President Donald Trump’s administration, praised Jones as a public advocate for military service and called the reenlistment “an absolute no-brainer.”
Hegseth said he wasn’t surprised when he learned the former Marine was interested in returning to uniformed service.
“When I first got word that he was interested in getting back in uniform, it actually didn’t surprise me,” Hegseth said. He added: “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.”
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