Johnny “Joey” Jones Honored with Medal of Honor Society Journalism Award

At the 2025 Congressional Medal of Honor Society Patriot Awards Gala, Fox News contributor and former U.S. Marine Johnny “Joey” Jones received one of the night’s most moving honors — the John R. “Tex” McCrary Award for Excellence in Journalism. The award, presented by Medal of Honor recipient Florent Groberg, recognizes journalists whose work reflects the integrity, courage, and values upheld by the Medal of Honor itself.

For Jones, the moment carried deep personal meaning. A former U.S. Marine Corps Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician, he served in Iraq and Afghanistan, leading missions that neutralized more than 80 IEDs and thousands of pounds of explosives — operations that saved countless lives. But in 2010, his final mission changed everything. An IED blast took both of his legs and left his right arm severely injured, forcing him to rebuild not only his body but his entire sense of purpose.

Standing on stage before a room filled with decorated heroes, Jones’s voice caught as he began his acceptance speech. “I stand here tonight because of the men and women who never made it home,” he said, his words steady but emotional. “Everything I’ve done since that day — every story I’ve told, every veteran I’ve interviewed — has been for them.”

Jones then turned to thank those who had stood by him in the years since, paying special tribute to his wife, Meg. “When I thought my story had ended,” he said, “she reminded me that it was just beginning. Meg didn’t marry a Marine who came home whole — she married a man still fighting to find his footing. And she never let me forget that I was more than my injuries.”

The audience erupted in applause, many visibly moved.

As a journalist and author, Jones has spent his post-service years amplifying the voices of veterans through his work at Fox News and in his best-selling book Unbroken Bonds of Battle. The book, he explained, was inspired by the friendships and faith that carried him through recovery — and his belief that every veteran’s story deserves to be told.

Groberg, who presented the award, praised Jones for “transforming pain into purpose” and for “bringing honor to the uniform long after taking it off.”

The John R. “Tex” McCrary Award honors those whose journalism exemplifies truth, service, and integrity. For Jones, those principles have never been abstract ideals — they’ve been a way of life.

As the evening came to a close, Jones offered one final reflection that drew a standing ovation: “The battlefield taught me how fragile life is. Journalism taught me how powerful truth can be. And together, they’ve given me something worth fighting for every single day.”