06-05-2025
By the Book: Johnny Joey Jones Previews Behind the Badge (First Look)
By the Book is a series where journalists discuss their works of fiction and non-fiction.
When tragedy strikes, first responders are always the first on the scene. But the physical and emotional toll that comes with reacting to emergencies in real time can take their toll over the days, weeks, and years in the field.
That's why Fox News Media correspondent Johnny Joey Jones set out to collect responders' stories in his latest book, Behind the Badge: Answering the Call to Serve on America's Homefront. TVNewser has your exclusive first look at the cover of the book, out on shelves on June 17. It's the 15th release from Fox News Books, the network's publishing arm.
"The experience of a first responder is more traumatic than most Americans realize,' Jones tells us. 'They drive through their battlefield every day.'
Courtesy Fox News Media
'The same intersection where they turn to take their kids to school is where they've seen countless car crashes and lives lost,' he adds. 'Their church sits next to a building where they could get everyone out of fire.'
Among the past and present responders profiled in Behind the Badge are Arizona sheriff Mark Lamb, Florida police deputy Katelyn Kotfila, former medic Vincent Vargas, and firefighter Keith Dempsey, who also happens to be Jones' brother-in-law.
Before joining Fox News, Jones served in the Marine Corps and lost both of his legs above the knee during a deployment in Afghanistan. (His Fox colleague, Benjamin Hall, was also severely injured in a war zone, and has written about his experience.) Since returning to civilian life, he has been involved in various veterans' causes. His previous book, 2023's Unbroken Bonds of Battle, tells the story of some of the soldiers he met abroad.
Behind the Badge brings his cause stateside, shining a spotlight on the private and public battles that first responders face every day.
'The book lets them tell their stories in their words and gives us a glimpse into the price they pay to keep us safe,' Jones says.
