Marine veteran and Fox News contributor Johnny Joey Jones returns with Behind the Badge, a powerful addition to our Tactical Athlete series. The book highlights the human cost of service among America’s first responders, sparking a long-overdue, apolitical conversation.
Johnny Joey Jones knows what sacrifice looks like. As an elite Marine Corps EOD technician, he gave more than most – this legs, time, and the long memory of brothers lost in battle. But in his new book, Behind the Badge, Jones focuses on a different battlefield: the streets, schools, and neighborhoods of American towns and cities, where first responders silently shoulder the weight of our nation’s safety.
In a candid, moving conversation on the Everyday Warrior Podcast, Jones explains the purpose behind his latest work. “This book exists,” he says, “because there’s a double standard. Veterans are revered. Cops? They’re often vilified.” With Behind the Badge, Jones sets out to humanize the men and women behind the uniform: police officers, firefighters, paramedics, game wardens, and more, exposing the toll their service takes on their mental, physical, and emotional well-being.
Jones doesn’t shy away from controversy. He acknowledges the national pain surrounding the George Floyd incident and police accountability. He also points out that slogans like “Defund the Police” and “ACAB” weren’t just misguided; they were dangerous. They stripped already under-resourced departments of tools, manpower, and public trust while ignoring the critical fact that, as Jones puts it, “our worst day is just another day on the job for them.”
Through real stories, some from close friends and family, Behind the Badge highlights the daily impossible decisions first responders make. Whether it’s Keith Dempsey, the fire chief who turned down a life of privilege for a life of service, or Clay Hedrick, who spent decades responding to scenes most of us would never recover from, Jones’s portraits are raw, personal, and deeply respectful.
He also highlights the glaring disparity in support between veterans and first responders. Over the past two decades, society has built a robust conversation around veteran mental health. First responders? Not so much. “They’re 20 years behind,” Jones says. They don’t get federal programs. They get precinct conversations and cheap insurance policies with laughable restrictions.”
As Jones and I, both former tactical athletes in our own right, discuss, the solution isn’t simple. Training, leadership, community investment, and cultural appreciation all matter. But first, we need to have a conversation. “You can’t solve a problem you refuse to see,” says Jones.
Behind the Badge isn’t just a book. It’s a wake-up call, a powerful reminder that law and order don’t exist in a vacuum – they’re enforced, preserved, and sometimes paid for in blood by men and women who live where they serve and serve where they live.
So the next time you hear a siren, take time to understand the cost of that help and who’s paying it.
Behind the Badge is available now for pre-order at FoxNewsBooks.com.
