In this episode, Lisa sits down with veteran and FOX News commentator Joey Jones to discuss President Trump’s decisive foreign policy, particularly the historic strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Jones offers a conservative perspective, praising Trump’s pragmatic approach to national security and willingness to act where previous administrations hesitated. The conversation explores the complexities of Middle East geopolitics, the necessity of strong leadership, and the constitutional authority of the president in military matters. Jones also reflects on the sacrifices of first responders and military personnel, emphasizing the importance of service and resilience in defending American values. The Truth with Lisa Boothe is part of the Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Podcast Network - new episodes debut every Tuesday & Thursday.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Truth with Li Sabooth, where we cut
to the heart of the issues that matter to you today.
We're joined by my friend, a Fox News contributor, a
hero in my book, but everyone's book. He's a Purple
Heart recipient, Marine Corps veteran and the author of a
really powerful and important new book called Behind the Badge,
(00:21):
Answering the Call to Serve on America's home front. His
name is Joey Jones. You know him from Fox, you
know him from everywhere. But he's a great friend of
mine with an important message as well. So we're going
to get into the historic United States strikes on Iran's
nuclear facilities to this fragile cyasefire in the wake of
the Iran Israel conflict or ongoing conflict as well. We'll
(00:43):
talk to Joey using his combat experience, and he's also
just a history buff. He's a history nerd. He loves history.
So we'll dig into the conflict with him. Will just
lead to World War three, as a lot of people
are saying, a lot of naysayers were saying, we're these
strikes necessary? Where is this all heading? And also why
are some people on Capitol Hill? So cavalier about sending
(01:05):
troops to war or potential boots on the ground. I'm
looking at you, Senator Lindsey Graham. But most importantly, we're
going to dive into his book exploring the sacrifices of
first responders and their service, why they decided to serve,
what's the common thread between these nine first responders that
he interviewed and the stories that he tells in his book.
(01:27):
So get ready for smart analysis and insightful conversation, and
also an important conversation about the people who put on
a badge or uniform to serve their communities and serve
their country, who also risk their lives. Stay tuned for
my friend and colleague, Joey Jones. Well, Joey Jones, it's
(01:51):
great to have you on the show. I am in
an office location in my building because there's fire alarm testing.
So the joys of podcasting actually showering, and I heard
a man's voice yesterday and it was the alarm. So
scared at the crap out of me. So hopefully we're
not interrupted.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
That is never sounds like something good. If you're showering
and hear a man's voice, that sounds like a bad day, I.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
Thought I was going to get murdered. So but I'm
here and thank God for that. Well, it's great to
have on the show. You you're a friend, a colleague. Well,
I think we're friends. I think you would. I think
you would say that.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
But the amount that you let me pick on you,
we better be friends otherwise I'm a real Ah It's.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
It's fun banter, is what I like to say. But
I'm looking forward to digging into all this, obviously with
everything that's happening in the Middle East, but also about
your book. I think a lot of people don't know
you're kind of a history nerd. Do you think that's
a fair assessment to make.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
I think so. I mean I like to put things
in context, and it's fun to go down rabbit holes.
And also I'm a little studies major, so my entire
collegic education was learning about the history of people. So yeah,
I think you're right.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
Wait, I think there's a lot of rabbit holes to
go down these days. So I wanted to get obviously,
just more broadly, looking at President Trump's historic bombing of
Iran's nuclear facilities. Did President Trump make the right call?
And how do you assess the strategic impact of it.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
Well, I mean, we're right now on this teetering sea
spire that could turn into peace or it could turn
into war again. And so did he make the right call?
I hate to be that guy, but like history will
decide by the next few weeks will decide, the next
few years will decide. I don't think you can sit
here and say he made the wrong call. I don't
see a bunch of net negatives from it. I think
(03:46):
he did it because he felt like being decisive and
hitting them in a way that they hadn't been hit
before the other presidents had advanced around would show Iran
and the rest of the world that he's not going
to step away around this. And I think that in
his mind, and I think probably in actuality, it sent
a message to China and Russia and other places. I
(04:09):
also think that his tour of the Middle East a
few months ago was laying the groundwork for something like this.
I think some of the other presidents before him would
fear how this would affect the old markets out Saudi
Arabia would respond, how some of the other Arab countries
would respond. And I think President Trump has laid groundwork
in those places that other presidents haven't. And not to
(04:29):
say that Saudi Arabia is some friend, I mean, you know,
or most of those countries. But a mutual working towards
a mutual benefit can be all you need. And that's
Trump's doctrine. I don't care if you're a bad guy
or a dictator. It's not my job to figure out
how your people are treated. That's their job. I need
to know if you're going to stab us in the
back or not, and how can I make sure you don't.
That's his policy and he does a pretty good job
(04:51):
at it well.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
And I think that's what makes President Trump so interesting,
is you know, to your point, like a Saudi Arabia friend,
like I don't know, but can we work together?
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Right? Like?
Speaker 1 (05:01):
President Trump sees the world very clear eye it. I mean,
he's not trying to sort of impose or ideals in
other nations. He's not trying to turn the Middle East
into a democracy. He even set in a speech to
Saudi Arabia like you guys, do you you know, like
I'm here for business, I'm here for strategic partnerships kind
of how do you look at that particularly, you know,
(05:21):
compared to someone like you know, former President George W.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Bush. Well, I think George W. Bush his dark presidency
was derailed as far as these polsage into by nine
to eleven. And we can talk about why that happened.
I think that you know, I really love you bringing
up that time, although it's not a question, you ask
and let me explain why people are worried that President
Trump's actions are going to cause a greater war. I think,
(05:46):
you know, or at least up until yesterday when the
ceasefire was announced. But here's the deal. Had Bill Clinton
gone after Osamom bin Laden, not eleven, might not have happened.
And so it might be a little bit more complicated
than that. But we know for a fact there were
opportunities to take Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda out
in the nineties Darren, Bill Clinton's tenure that we either
missed or there was one famous case where a leak
(06:07):
told them we were about to hit him because there
were some princes there with him they didn't want to kill.
And I think President Trump is trying to show the
world that's not me. I'm not going to make those mistakes.
I'm not going to let you know something that might
be a negative stop me from doing something that can
be a positive for our country and for our national security.
And I think the other presidents have tried to make
everybody happy, and I think you can't make everybody happy.
(06:30):
I think you're actually better off if you just piss
everybody off, but you're consistent. And I think that's what
President Trump is looking for. He's looking to show the
world that he is consistent. If this, then that that's
his foreign policy. If you do this, we will bring
down that hammer. And I think that's, you know, Operation
Midnight Hammer. He has to. He has no choice but
the back that rhetoric up. And that's what he did.
(06:51):
But is that just leadership, I would hope. So I've
told people for a long time. I've spent the time
I did in the Marine Corps. Your worst leaders are
the ones that want to make everybody happy, and because
of that, go back on their own policies and decisions
all the time because they think that it's going to
hurt somebody that they didn't mean to hurt, or or
(07:14):
hurt somebody's feelings. And at the end of the day,
when you make a policy decision, if you know what
you're doing, is for the betterment of the team, and
not everything just for the betterment of the team, is
for the betterment of every individual. And part of being
a team is knowing you have to make sacrifices along
the way. So a good leader is one it's consistent
that you know, when they say this is what we're
going to do, we're going to do it until it
either fails or succeeds. And that's President Trump.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Yeah, And I mean you told her on you have
sixty days. You know, they didn't negotiate, and so boom,
you know, there goes the dynamite.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Literally there it goes auly. And when I say that's
President Trump, that's President Trump. In defense and foremn policy.
He handles things like the economy much differently. He handles
things like legislation much differently. More of a populace comes
out in those cases, and he uses a lot of
hyperbole in his rhetoric. We're gonna, you know, we're going
to pass this big, beautiful bill exactly how it is,
and it may get changed, but the point is, don't
(08:07):
think we're not passing this bill. And so he has
a style of leadership that translates in so many places
but doesn't translate in DC, because in DC they're used
to speaking out both sides of their mouth all the
time and having a different truth even behind closed doors.
And as we saw this morning, a President Trump losing
his cool and you know, dropping an F bomb. He
(08:28):
doesn't mask a lot. We know where he is with
things pretty much every time the microphone is in front
of him, and I think that alone throws people off
in DC.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
Well, I also think it's good to you know, obviously
red lines didn't mean much under Obama and under Biden,
and obviously they do under Trump. And so I think
that's a good message for our enemies and our friends.
You know that he means what he says, and he
says what he means. Sent I want to ask you
about this ceasefire, because he did lose his cool and
(08:59):
he said that they don't know what the f they're
doing talking about Iran and Israel. Do they know what
that f they're doing?
Speaker 2 (09:06):
I don't know. I think that are israel vision that
Yalus said it best, really right before we dropped the bonds.
He said, Israel's going to do what's best for Israel,
and President Trump is going to do what's best for
the United States, and in saying that, he's admitting that
that they may have different goals. They may support one
(09:27):
another's goals, but they may have different goals. I have
no problem with Israel having the goal of regime change
or at least regime crippling. I believe that Israel is
well within the right over the last four or five
decades to have that goal or to work towards it
now that Iran has baited them into war. And I
think that's what's happened from October seventh, four to Iran's
(09:48):
done twenty enough for Israel to justify a preemptive attack.
I don't think that's worth disputing at this point. But
President Trump has to have a worldview that encompasses the
rest of the Arab nations, Europe and what he's trying
to accomplish for our country. And for President Trump's perspective,
although he may be totally for the idea of Iran
having different leaders, he may not need that happening right
(10:11):
now for him to accomplish the things he's trying to
accomplish for our country. I mean, you know, that's that's
perfectly reasonable, and so I don't think that I don't
think that Israel doesn't know what they're doing. I think
that they are. They're very smart, and they are very tactical,
and they have their set of goals. What they don't
know is how much of that Trump's going to support
(10:32):
based on what Trump is also trying to get done.
And as Trump talks to these Arab countries in Europe,
that may change what he's willing to support and what
he isn't and Israel has to decide if they're willing
to follow that or lead in their own direction. I
don't think they're going to hurt our partnership, but you
know you're going to have moments like we had today
where President Trump, just out of frustration says, what in
the hell are you doing? I just broke it a
(10:53):
peace deal and it's so fragile. Why would you? Why
would you risk it? And Israel's going to say, if
we don't send a message in these six hours you
gave us to send as many bombs as we can,
they're going to turn. They're going to think they got
one over on us all over again and keep building
their bombs. And so I don't think either one of
them are wrong. They just start heading in the same
direction on two different paths.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
We've got more with Joey. But first, Israel is at
war with Iran, a nation that is vowed to wipe
Israel and even the United States off the map, and
a necessary act of self defense, Israel struck Iranian nuclear facilities,
military targets, and top leadership. Right now, the International Fellowship
of Christians and Jews is on the ground preparing large
scale distributions of life saving food, first aid and emergency kits,
(11:37):
especially to Israel's most vulnerable people, the sick, the elderly, children,
and families in need. The Fellowship is also making sure
that hospitals, emergency rooms, and shelters are fully stocked with
critical and life saving medical supplies. But the Fellowship needs
your most generous gift today to make this work possible.
Now is your time to stand with Israel as most vulnerable.
(11:59):
To rush your gift eight eight eight for a eight
I FJ. That's eight eight eight for a eight IFCJ,
or you can go online at IFCJ dot org IFCJ
dot org. You'd mentioned previously that Israel is within its
right to strike at Oran after October seventh, and you know,
(12:20):
obviously Iran was behind that financially with via Hamasa proxy.
And I've been asking this like on TV as well,
of like what is the appropriate response to a nine
to eleven type terror attack? Right, because Israel obviously has
a much smaller population than we have in the United States.
So if that's where the attack happened, here we're talking
about tens of thousands of people that would have been
(12:42):
murdered comparatively speaking from a population perspective, and we went
to war for like twenty years after nine to eleven.
Not saying that was the right call, you know, but
I'm saying, like, what is the appropriate response, Like doesn't
Israel have every right to, you know, want to annihilate
Iran if they're a terror attack like that?
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Absolutely they do. And anyone that disputes that is biased
in a way that I don't understand. Israel beliefs Iran
was behind that. We have circumstantial evidence to prove it.
I can tell you when I was in Iraq, I
found Iranian made ordinance, or at least we did. I
won't say me personally, but we found Iranian made ordinance,
and I read reports on the Moni Iranian made ordinance
(13:25):
all the time is just working as security for a
D before I became an EOD technician, and so the
fact that Iran has supported the GHD, the Global GHOD
is pretty obvious. Now. On the nuclear weapons thing, I
think the nuclear weapons is the easiest way to justify
large scale action, and I think that in a little
(13:46):
bit of a way, both the United States and Israel
is using that really as a cover for all the
reasons that Iran needs to be at least weakened. I
don't know on was trying to actively build a bomb
or if being in the eleventh hour of building a
bomb might have been more leverage, because I mean, once
(14:07):
you have the bomb, now you're an actual threat, and
I don't know that you get the same type of
appeasement you're you know, it's kind of like catching a
tiger by the tail. You know, once you catch it,
now you've got a tiger on the other end. And
I think, you know, the responsibility of owning nuclear weapons
is a big one, and I think that as long
as they were capable of and presumably heading towards building
(14:29):
a nuclear weapon, there were a lot of things that
the international community was willing to do to kind of
coltew to them and ask them not to and maybe
those things kind of go away if they get too
far down the road. Maybe they were holding themselves back
in that way because it made such a great point
of leverage. I'm not sure that's totally theoretical, but so
I don't know. There are some intelligence supports that they
(14:50):
weren't advancing in building a nuclear weapon, and Israel says
they were days away, And you know, it's hard because
from my perspective, I heard my entire adult life they
were weeks away, and it's like, how can you be
weeks away for twenty years? Like there is some healthy
skethicism there that I think is appropriate, But at the
end of the day, you take all the nuclear weapons
stuff out of it. Iran has done nothing but try
(15:11):
to undermine and kill the United States and Israel for
at least thirty years. I mean, in nineteen eighty eight
we took out a portion of their navy because they
suckle or they had tried to sink one of our
ships with a mind closing the straight to remove so
you know, go all the way back to Iran country
even before that, and then the hostages in seventy nine,
(15:32):
so it's this idea that Iran has turned the tide,
or hasn't been a bad actor, or hasn't been actively
against us in Israel, that ship is sailed. And so
I think Israel's fully justified in their war against Iran,
whether or without a nuclear weapon, because Iran has tried
to mobilize guerrilla units, militaries and terrorists against Israel actively
(15:53):
and in doing so, against US for a really long time.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
Will this lead to World War three?
Speaker 2 (15:58):
No, anything can lead to World War three. I mean, hell,
you know, Franz Berdinand. I mean, anything can lead to
World War three. That's a part of existing in a
world of nations and armies. But I don't see the
cards on the table for many places to want to
get involved in this. I think that Russia sits it
out because President Trump quite frankly tells Vladimir Putin, if
(16:22):
you are Iran, I'll make sure the Ukrainian War lasts
for the next twenty years. I mean, that's exactly what
that phone call looks like. And Vladimir Putin doesn't want that,
or at least I wouldn't think you would. For China,
it's much more of the economic drivers, and I don't
think it helps them in any way economically to have
a larger scale war. Now China's status quo is to
(16:43):
fight us through proxies. I mean, look at all the
Southeast Asian conflicts, but I just don't see that being
their goal right now. And the Arab nations have all
but said they're sitting it out. So what world powers
go to war against the Allies in this case? I
don't there.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
What are your thoughts in the whole debate about President
Trump's decision to strike or wrong without congressional approval, he.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
Took immediate military action to end a conflict we would
surely be engulfed in. I mean, you can have the
constitutional debate from here to tim Book two. Our constitution
is incredibly important. There are powers in the Constitution given
to the president for such a case. And if you
(17:30):
want to take him the court over it, take him
the court over. The fact is B two bombers flu
bombs dropped and the war is at a ceasefire. So
you know, if you want to pitch a fit about it,
pitch a fit about it, and pass the legislation that
changes it.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
So I want to segue to your book Behind the
badge andswering the call to serve on America's home front,
because when we talk about even this broader conversation about
what's happening in the Middle East and the possibility that
a lot of these conflicts could potentially lead to broader wars,
could potentially lead to boots on the ground, whether it's
in Europe with Russia and Ukraine or with Iran and Israel.
(18:06):
How frustrating is it for you, as someone who has
served and who has also suffered injury as a result
of that surface to sort of have this like cavalier
attitude very often on Capitol Hill about like sending, you know,
boots on the ground, or let's go to war or
you know.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
Yeah, I mean you're essentially you're invoking the ghost of
Lindsay Graham. And I get it. Basically.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
I was kind of poo a step by you're picking
up when I putted out, yeah, you know.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
The one thing I will say about Lindsay Graham is
God bless him. He's consistent. He doesn't backtrack on it,
and that at least means something on Capitol heel and
I think he believes, he believes the policy he advocates
for I don't think he's cavalier about lives being lost.
I think in his heart of hearts, he believes that
strong military action is almost always the answer, and sometimes
it is the answer. But when you have a twenty
(18:58):
year war that consists of really two your wars, where
we decide if we're going to continue it every mid
term and presidential election, that's that's really devastating to your
country's faith in the government and its ability to protect
us by going to war when they need to. So
it's you know, it's kind of like the Boy that
Cried Wolf. We fought this twenty year war against these
(19:19):
ghosts called al Qaeda and the Taliban and in the
countries of Iraq and Afghanistan. And now if there is
a legitimate Middle Eastern threat, who's going to believe it
because we experienced that twenty year war. And that's kind
of the conundrum that President Truck finds himself in because
there are plenty of people on the right and the
left criticizing him for taking action because that's all they
(19:41):
can see. I think it's much different. Number One, Israel
is a completely different factor. I mean, having you know,
we had NATO forces in Afghanistan, but we led the
way we had. They attacked us. We were the ones
that had the gripe. We we responded and retaliated, and
they came in and helped this. Having this what's going
on with Israel and Iran, US helping Israel or US
(20:04):
taking decisive action to ensure it doesn't spread beyond in
my opinion, Iran in Israel. I mean, let's go back
to you know, if Bill Clinton would have taken out
Osama bin Laden, there might not have ever been a
war in Afghanistan. So sometimes the sisive military action is
exactly what prevents war. The difference between the twenty year
(20:24):
war in Iraq and Afghanistan and what's happening with Iran
is one. I don't think the world, especially the Arab world,
has the appetite to feed this radical Islamic terror that's
really spread like wildfire in the nineties and then into
the two thousands. I just don't think the world has
a tolerance for it that it had twenty thirty years ago,
(20:44):
or at least the blind eye to it. I think
the Saudis were behind some of it. I don't think
they have an appetite for it today. Money talks and
bull crap walks, you know, And so I just don't
think that that type of enemy is going to is
going to be what we're fighting. And then conventional warfare.
We are the superpower in the world when it comes
to conventional warfare. So this idea that it would take
(21:06):
twenty years doesn't make sense. I mean, desert storm, in
my opinion, is as much of an analogy to where
we are today, or more so than the wars in
Iraq in Afghanistan.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
Yeah, what all about President Trump? And he did this
recently with the Joint addressed to Congress. He's so good
at sending a message and telling stories through people and
using individuals as an example to tell those stories. And
you did that in your book Behind the Badge. You
tell the stories of nine first responders. Why did you
(21:40):
pick these nine people? And what stories and what were
you hoping to convey with those nine people?
Speaker 2 (21:47):
You know. I like to say I didn't pick these
nine people, these non people picked me, And that was
almost a Peter Popper pick thing there. But yeah, they
picked me. I mean they came into my life, they
are in my life. The first two chats are a
guy that I've known since I was three years old,
and my brother in law that I've known for more
than twenty years. And these are first responders of all
(22:09):
walks of life. Justin Heflin in there is a guy
that I replaced in Afghanistan. He was a radio detech
and became an Indiana State trooper. Caitlin Kotfella is in there,
and she's a police officer down in Tampa. She was
assigned to be my security a few years ago at
an event. It wasn't really an event I needed security yet,
so she invited her to sit down next to me
(22:29):
and have dinner with the table and I got to
hear her story and it just really my jolly at
the floor, Like she's just so inspiring, and so when
I decided to write this book, she was and easy fit.
Sheriff Mark Lamb is on there. I've interviewed him many
times on Fox. He's done a fantastic job showing the
country what a proactive, media friendly sheriff, what a big
(22:50):
impact someone like that can have. And then when you
learn his backstory of how he got there, it's truly inspiring.
It's very American. E Vince Vargas is in there. He's
a Border Patrol search and rescue guy. Before that, he
was an army ranger, and or after both of those things,
he was involved with the guys that created Black Riffle
coffee companies. So he's been a close friend of mine
for a long time. And to learn that this Mexican
(23:11):
American from La became a Border of Patrol search and
rescue guy and saw both sides of that issue and
was so patriotic and wanted to defend his country, but
also was empathetic towards the people he was interdicting and
has so much to say about it that after finding
fame and being on the TV show The Miyans, he
went back to be a journalist for the Border Patrol
to help tell those stories in a time when people
(23:33):
are trying to demonize Border Patrol. I mean, these are
amazing stories that really I would love to tell you
are so unique that they were the best nine in
the world. But the point of the book is that
it could be any nine that wear a badge and
keep us safe every day. Keith Densey and Clay Hendrick
the first two chapters in the book. They're firemen at
Dalton Fire Department, Dalton, Georgia and Northeast and Northwest Georgia's
(23:57):
it's not a super small city, but it's not a
city you know of any It's not a big city.
And their stories are remarkable, the tragedy they've experienced, the
growth that they've had, the triumphs they've experienced, saving people,
saving buildings, helping other people get through their post traumatic
(24:17):
stress of being on a job like that. I mean
Clai Hedrick at one time was working on a fire
truck as a fireman one out of every three days,
riding the ambulance as an EMT one out of every
three days, and working at the non to one one
call center one out of every three days. And to
think that there are people out there that are so
dedicated to saving lives and keeping us safe that they
(24:39):
really they give up their own peace of mind so
we can live in peace.
Speaker 1 (24:43):
We've got more of Joey. If you liked the podcast,
please share on social media or send to your friends.
What is the common thread when interviewing all these people, obviously,
as you just mentioned, people that you know personally as well,
and you deciding to serve as well, what is the
common thread and all these people deciding to put on
(25:05):
a badge or deciding to put on a uniform and
go serve their community or the country.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
It's really quite simple, and it took me a while
to figure this out. Every single one of them, early
on in their career, add something happen in front of
them on the job that really reset their entire perspective.
I mean, you know, you go to police academy or
fire academy, and it's all about tactics and procedures and
what to do and how to do it and how
to be successful. It's rarely showing you the face and
(25:32):
name of a five year old little girl that dies
in a fire or dies in a car wreck that
you're going to have to respond to. And every single
one of them, early on in their career, like for Clay,
it was just about the very first shift. That's what
happens is now you meet the faces and the tragedy
of this job. And every single one of them experienced
that early on and realized and made the decision, as
(25:56):
difficult as that was. And I don't believe after writing
this book to anybody is quite simply born to do it.
I think that they experienced the sadness and the trauma,
just like any of us would have. But every single
one of them decided that it was worth it that
sacrificing their own peace so that we could live in peace.
And when I say live in peace, I mean that
(26:17):
we believe when we walk out the door that if
our house catches on fire, somebody will come put it out.
If we get in a carreg somebody will respond. If
we have a medical emergency, somebody will be there to
help us. Like that's the peace that we live in
in this country. And they decided, each and ever one
of them early in their career it was worth sacrificing
that to keep their community safe. And now they've done
(26:37):
it for ten twenty thirty years.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
Well, you know, because there is a price. Ray, I mean,
you lost your alert, your legs as a marine, you
are a Purple Heart recipient serving as an explosive ordinance
disposal technician in Afghanistan. You look at nine to eleven.
We lost hundreds of first responders during nine to eleven
who ran towards the buildings, who ran towards the attack
to to save them Americans, to save their fellow Americans.
(27:04):
I mean, the price is the price worth it? Is
it price worth the sacrifice?
Speaker 2 (27:10):
One hundred percent of it is. I can speak that
for myself like I would give my legs to keep
this country safe over and over again like Groundhog's Day,
and I just I know I would. After interviewing these
nine first responders, knowing the dozens more that are in
my life, they make that decision every time they go
out there. Let me tell you a quick story if
I can so. Keith Dimpsry, my brother in law, was
(27:34):
his first jobs at Marietta, which touches Atlantis, so it
has a lot of the same types of calls as
a big city. It is part basically of the Atlanta footprint.
And for about a month they ran calls every shift
that were just insane, you know, john buildings catching on fire,
homes catching on fire, big bag car wrecks, huge medical
overdose emergencies where you know they go in and it's
(27:56):
it's a home with domestic violence and all kinds of
stuff that they have to clean up to save his life.
And there was just one call after another and on
that shift for a lot of young firemen. So at
the end of that month, the city saw it fit
to give them an award. So they gave them an
award for going through and doing all of that in
such a short period of time. In the middle of
all that, Keith and another young fireman responded to a
(28:17):
house fire. The family somehow got out, but there were
two little girls that didn't, and they went in to
get them and they went into the bedroom. They searched
all over the bedroom. What they found out was there
was a pile of stuffed animals, and the little girls
crawled under those stuffed animals. They going to keep them safe,
and of course it did the opposite, and they perished.
And so when Keith got that award, it broke his
(28:38):
heart and he's never worn the award. It's one of
the most traumatic things that he's ever gone through. And
eventually I had to point out to Keith, hey, brother,
you need to understand you didn't get that award because
of what happened that night. You got that award because
you put your gear on the next day and went
back to work after what happened that night. You didn't
give up, you didn't quit continue to be that guy
(29:01):
and you continue to save people. You know. I wish
that every first responder could always say they batted a thousand,
but that just simply isn't the case. And so that's
that's the type of sacrifice that we see when you
can experience something like that and still go put your
gear on the next day and go into a burning
building and have those memories, those those haunting memories, and
(29:23):
today though you save somebody. I mean, that's who we
have out there, and that's who we live beside, that's
who we go to church with, that's who's in the
pickup line when we pick our kids up from school,
or those kind of people, and we're just so lucky
in this country to have them.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
What's so interesting is, you know, I've interviewed a lot
of people for the podcast. Obviously we engage with a
lot of people with their jobs at Fox, and you
look at a lot of professions, there can be a
lot of arrogance, particularly looking at Congress and some of
these other places. And I will say that of all
the first responders I've interviewed, particularly or military veterans, there's
such a humility that comes with it, and like a
(30:00):
really like if you're like, oh, you're a hero, they're like, no,
don't say that. What do you think is behind that?
Speaker 2 (30:05):
I think it's it's cultural. You be in EOD tech.
I understand it a little bit because in EOD, especially
Marine Corpo D, we weed out the guys that are
all about themselves because eventually they'll do something dangerous so
other people are impressed. But in doing that dangerous thing,
there is their lives and other people's lives. So you
can't have heroes in heroic jobs. You can't have people
(30:28):
looking for the pats on the back and the ground
and the adulation in jobs that they are so dangerous
and self sacrificing that they may one day rate it
when people say he won the Purple Heart or he
won the Medal of Honor, that's that's really horrible. You
earn those things, but you don't win them. They're not
a prize you're out looking for. And so it's the
same thing for these individuals, like they understand that, especially
(30:52):
police officers, they can't go out looking to be a
hero because then they'll make a bad decision. And so
it's a cultural thing bred in them from day one
in good departments and on good forces. And that's most
of them.
Speaker 1 (31:06):
Why did you decide to serve? Why did you decide
to become a marine.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
I'm happy to tell you, and it's not, you know,
like it's not the selfless thing that I admire in
other people. I chose to be a marine because I
come from a poor city and at the time a
poor family, and my parents worked really hard to give
me opportunities that I kind of squandered by being enamored with,
you know, playing football and chasing girls. So when I
graduated high school, I didn't have scholarships to college. And
(31:34):
to their credit, you know, to be fair, my parents
didn't expect college because it was never expected of them.
They were a poor class of people and college wasn't
really on the table, so they just wanted me to
graduate high school. And so a year after graduating high school,
I was I was seventeen when I graduated. So at eighteen,
in my eighteenth year, I realized that I owed it
to my parents to take the opportunities that life had
(31:58):
given me and they had worked for, and go make
something of it. College had passed me by, so the
next available opportunity was the military. So that was the
origin of joining the Marine Corps. Joined the Marine Corps
because when I went to the Navy, they told me
that i'd have health care for the rest of my life.
When I went to the Air Force, they told me
to teach me a job that I could use when
(32:18):
I got out of the Air Force. When I went
to the Army, they told me that I would have
the GI bill to go to college after the Army.
None of them told me how great being in those
three services would be like my time actually in them.
When I went to the Marine Corps, they said being
a Marine is a privilege and you may have what
it takes to earn it, and that just that was it.
That's what I was looking for, that type of challenge.
(32:39):
I was earning a title, and it resonated with me.
But both of those reasons are kind of selfish. They
were about me. It wasn't until I went to boot
camp and had Joe instructors that had just come back
from a rock that the selfless and sacrifice part of
it really resonated with me.
Speaker 1 (32:56):
Hey, July, before we go, what do you hope people
take away from this book?
Speaker 2 (33:00):
I hope people read this book and do two things.
One understand much better what people go through to keep
them safe. That way they is they interact with them,
because nobody's happy when they get pulled over first speeding ticket.
But if you read this book and you can kind
of see behind the eyes of that person on the
other side of your window when you're getting that speeding ticket,
(33:21):
then you just think for a second about all that
guy or gal has been through in the last week,
and that they're not pulling you over because they hate you.
They're pulling you over because they had to respond to
a card just like yours. It was plastered all over
the road last week. You'll have a better understanding of
what they go through and maybe try to live more responsibly.
And then on the other side of it, what I
really hope happens is that first responder families read it
(33:44):
and understand their hero better, because I don't think most
first responders are exceptionally vulnerable with their families and they
think they're protecting them, but a lot of times they
just leave them in the dark so much that they
don't know what's going on behind their eyes. And I
think it'll do both of those things.
Speaker 1 (34:00):
Joey, can I tell you something? To be honest, When
I first met you, I didn't know if I should
call you Joey Jones or Johnny Jones.
Speaker 2 (34:08):
It's a debate that still resonates every day. But most
of my friends that Jane would call me.
Speaker 1 (34:13):
Joey, Well, you are my friend and hero in my eyes,
and you're just a really smart guy, and I always
love being on with you. You always just make really smart,
intelligent points, also filled with a lot of common sons,
which isn't so common these days.
Speaker 2 (34:28):
So those are those are gracious words, and I appreciate
it because certainly you're smart and fun to work with.
And that's what's great about this business, especially being on
the right side of it, is that you're aul such
good people.
Speaker 1 (34:42):
And even though you make fun of me sometimes, we're
so Thanks for making the time. I know this book's
going to be huge success. I'm so happy for you,
and I hope that we are filling in together soon.
Speaker 2 (34:55):
Yeah, I'm sure I'll see you soon.
Speaker 1 (34:56):
That was my friend and colleague from Fox News, Joey
joe Zones. Appreciate him for making the time to come
on the show. Appreciate his service. I mean, the guy
is a freaking hero. Appreciate you guys at home for
listening every Tuesday and Thursday, but you can listen throughout
the week until next time
Welcome to the Truth with Li Sabooth, where we cut
to the heart of the issues that matter to you today.
We're joined by my friend, a Fox News contributor, a
hero in my book, but everyone's book. He's a Purple
Heart recipient, Marine Corps veteran and the author of a
really powerful and important new book called Behind the Badge,
(00:21):
Answering the Call to Serve on America's home front. His
name is Joey Jones. You know him from Fox, you
know him from everywhere. But he's a great friend of
mine with an important message as well. So we're going
to get into the historic United States strikes on Iran's
nuclear facilities to this fragile cyasefire in the wake of
the Iran Israel conflict or ongoing conflict as well. We'll
(00:43):
talk to Joey using his combat experience, and he's also
just a history buff. He's a history nerd. He loves history.
So we'll dig into the conflict with him. Will just
lead to World War three, as a lot of people
are saying, a lot of naysayers were saying, we're these
strikes necessary? Where is this all heading? And also why
are some people on Capitol Hill? So cavalier about sending
(01:05):
troops to war or potential boots on the ground. I'm
looking at you, Senator Lindsey Graham. But most importantly, we're
going to dive into his book exploring the sacrifices of
first responders and their service, why they decided to serve,
what's the common thread between these nine first responders that
he interviewed and the stories that he tells in his book.
(01:27):
So get ready for smart analysis and insightful conversation, and
also an important conversation about the people who put on
a badge or uniform to serve their communities and serve
their country, who also risk their lives. Stay tuned for
my friend and colleague, Joey Jones. Well, Joey Jones, it's
(01:51):
great to have you on the show. I am in
an office location in my building because there's fire alarm testing.
So the joys of podcasting actually showering, and I heard
a man's voice yesterday and it was the alarm. So
scared at the crap out of me. So hopefully we're
not interrupted.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
That is never sounds like something good. If you're showering
and hear a man's voice, that sounds like a bad day, I.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
Thought I was going to get murdered. So but I'm
here and thank God for that. Well, it's great to
have on the show. You you're a friend, a colleague. Well,
I think we're friends. I think you would. I think
you would say that.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
But the amount that you let me pick on you,
we better be friends otherwise I'm a real Ah It's.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
It's fun banter, is what I like to say. But
I'm looking forward to digging into all this, obviously with
everything that's happening in the Middle East, but also about
your book. I think a lot of people don't know
you're kind of a history nerd. Do you think that's
a fair assessment to make.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
I think so. I mean I like to put things
in context, and it's fun to go down rabbit holes.
And also I'm a little studies major, so my entire
collegic education was learning about the history of people. So yeah,
I think you're right.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
Wait, I think there's a lot of rabbit holes to
go down these days. So I wanted to get obviously,
just more broadly, looking at President Trump's historic bombing of
Iran's nuclear facilities. Did President Trump make the right call?
And how do you assess the strategic impact of it.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
Well, I mean, we're right now on this teetering sea
spire that could turn into peace or it could turn
into war again. And so did he make the right call?
I hate to be that guy, but like history will
decide by the next few weeks will decide, the next
few years will decide. I don't think you can sit
here and say he made the wrong call. I don't
see a bunch of net negatives from it. I think
(03:46):
he did it because he felt like being decisive and
hitting them in a way that they hadn't been hit
before the other presidents had advanced around would show Iran
and the rest of the world that he's not going
to step away around this. And I think that in
his mind, and I think probably in actuality, it sent
a message to China and Russia and other places. I
(04:09):
also think that his tour of the Middle East a
few months ago was laying the groundwork for something like this.
I think some of the other presidents before him would
fear how this would affect the old markets out Saudi
Arabia would respond, how some of the other Arab countries
would respond. And I think President Trump has laid groundwork
in those places that other presidents haven't. And not to
(04:29):
say that Saudi Arabia is some friend, I mean, you know,
or most of those countries. But a mutual working towards
a mutual benefit can be all you need. And that's
Trump's doctrine. I don't care if you're a bad guy
or a dictator. It's not my job to figure out
how your people are treated. That's their job. I need
to know if you're going to stab us in the
back or not, and how can I make sure you don't.
That's his policy and he does a pretty good job
(04:51):
at it well.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
And I think that's what makes President Trump so interesting,
is you know, to your point, like a Saudi Arabia friend,
like I don't know, but can we work together?
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Right? Like?
Speaker 1 (05:01):
President Trump sees the world very clear eye it. I mean,
he's not trying to sort of impose or ideals in
other nations. He's not trying to turn the Middle East
into a democracy. He even set in a speech to
Saudi Arabia like you guys, do you you know, like
I'm here for business, I'm here for strategic partnerships kind
of how do you look at that particularly, you know,
(05:21):
compared to someone like you know, former President George W.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Bush. Well, I think George W. Bush his dark presidency
was derailed as far as these polsage into by nine
to eleven. And we can talk about why that happened.
I think that you know, I really love you bringing
up that time, although it's not a question, you ask
and let me explain why people are worried that President
Trump's actions are going to cause a greater war. I think,
(05:46):
you know, or at least up until yesterday when the
ceasefire was announced. But here's the deal. Had Bill Clinton
gone after Osamom bin Laden, not eleven, might not have happened.
And so it might be a little bit more complicated
than that. But we know for a fact there were
opportunities to take Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda out
in the nineties Darren, Bill Clinton's tenure that we either
missed or there was one famous case where a leak
(06:07):
told them we were about to hit him because there
were some princes there with him they didn't want to kill.
And I think President Trump is trying to show the
world that's not me. I'm not going to make those mistakes.
I'm not going to let you know something that might
be a negative stop me from doing something that can
be a positive for our country and for our national security.
And I think the other presidents have tried to make
everybody happy, and I think you can't make everybody happy.
(06:30):
I think you're actually better off if you just piss
everybody off, but you're consistent. And I think that's what
President Trump is looking for. He's looking to show the
world that he is consistent. If this, then that that's
his foreign policy. If you do this, we will bring
down that hammer. And I think that's, you know, Operation
Midnight Hammer. He has to. He has no choice but
the back that rhetoric up. And that's what he did.
(06:51):
But is that just leadership, I would hope. So I've
told people for a long time. I've spent the time
I did in the Marine Corps. Your worst leaders are
the ones that want to make everybody happy, and because
of that, go back on their own policies and decisions
all the time because they think that it's going to
hurt somebody that they didn't mean to hurt, or or
(07:14):
hurt somebody's feelings. And at the end of the day,
when you make a policy decision, if you know what
you're doing, is for the betterment of the team, and
not everything just for the betterment of the team, is
for the betterment of every individual. And part of being
a team is knowing you have to make sacrifices along
the way. So a good leader is one it's consistent
that you know, when they say this is what we're
going to do, we're going to do it until it
either fails or succeeds. And that's President Trump.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Yeah, And I mean you told her on you have
sixty days. You know, they didn't negotiate, and so boom,
you know, there goes the dynamite.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Literally there it goes auly. And when I say that's
President Trump, that's President Trump. In defense and foremn policy.
He handles things like the economy much differently. He handles
things like legislation much differently. More of a populace comes
out in those cases, and he uses a lot of
hyperbole in his rhetoric. We're gonna, you know, we're going
to pass this big, beautiful bill exactly how it is,
and it may get changed, but the point is, don't
(08:07):
think we're not passing this bill. And so he has
a style of leadership that translates in so many places
but doesn't translate in DC, because in DC they're used
to speaking out both sides of their mouth all the
time and having a different truth even behind closed doors.
And as we saw this morning, a President Trump losing
his cool and you know, dropping an F bomb. He
(08:28):
doesn't mask a lot. We know where he is with
things pretty much every time the microphone is in front
of him, and I think that alone throws people off
in DC.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
Well, I also think it's good to you know, obviously
red lines didn't mean much under Obama and under Biden,
and obviously they do under Trump. And so I think
that's a good message for our enemies and our friends.
You know that he means what he says, and he
says what he means. Sent I want to ask you
about this ceasefire, because he did lose his cool and
(08:59):
he said that they don't know what the f they're
doing talking about Iran and Israel. Do they know what
that f they're doing?
Speaker 2 (09:06):
I don't know. I think that are israel vision that
Yalus said it best, really right before we dropped the bonds.
He said, Israel's going to do what's best for Israel,
and President Trump is going to do what's best for
the United States, and in saying that, he's admitting that
that they may have different goals. They may support one
(09:27):
another's goals, but they may have different goals. I have
no problem with Israel having the goal of regime change
or at least regime crippling. I believe that Israel is
well within the right over the last four or five
decades to have that goal or to work towards it
now that Iran has baited them into war. And I
think that's what's happened from October seventh, four to Iran's
(09:48):
done twenty enough for Israel to justify a preemptive attack.
I don't think that's worth disputing at this point. But
President Trump has to have a worldview that encompasses the
rest of the Arab nations, Europe and what he's trying
to accomplish for our country. And for President Trump's perspective,
although he may be totally for the idea of Iran
having different leaders, he may not need that happening right
(10:11):
now for him to accomplish the things he's trying to
accomplish for our country. I mean, you know, that's that's
perfectly reasonable, and so I don't think that I don't
think that Israel doesn't know what they're doing. I think
that they are. They're very smart, and they are very tactical,
and they have their set of goals. What they don't
know is how much of that Trump's going to support
(10:32):
based on what Trump is also trying to get done.
And as Trump talks to these Arab countries in Europe,
that may change what he's willing to support and what
he isn't and Israel has to decide if they're willing
to follow that or lead in their own direction. I
don't think they're going to hurt our partnership, but you
know you're going to have moments like we had today
where President Trump, just out of frustration says, what in
the hell are you doing? I just broke it a
(10:53):
peace deal and it's so fragile. Why would you? Why
would you risk it? And Israel's going to say, if
we don't send a message in these six hours you
gave us to send as many bombs as we can,
they're going to turn. They're going to think they got
one over on us all over again and keep building
their bombs. And so I don't think either one of
them are wrong. They just start heading in the same
direction on two different paths.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
We've got more with Joey. But first, Israel is at
war with Iran, a nation that is vowed to wipe
Israel and even the United States off the map, and
a necessary act of self defense, Israel struck Iranian nuclear facilities,
military targets, and top leadership. Right now, the International Fellowship
of Christians and Jews is on the ground preparing large
scale distributions of life saving food, first aid and emergency kits,
(11:37):
especially to Israel's most vulnerable people, the sick, the elderly, children,
and families in need. The Fellowship is also making sure
that hospitals, emergency rooms, and shelters are fully stocked with
critical and life saving medical supplies. But the Fellowship needs
your most generous gift today to make this work possible.
Now is your time to stand with Israel as most vulnerable.
(11:59):
To rush your gift eight eight eight for a eight
I FJ. That's eight eight eight for a eight IFCJ,
or you can go online at IFCJ dot org IFCJ
dot org. You'd mentioned previously that Israel is within its
right to strike at Oran after October seventh, and you know,
(12:20):
obviously Iran was behind that financially with via Hamasa proxy.
And I've been asking this like on TV as well,
of like what is the appropriate response to a nine
to eleven type terror attack? Right, because Israel obviously has
a much smaller population than we have in the United States.
So if that's where the attack happened, here we're talking
about tens of thousands of people that would have been
(12:42):
murdered comparatively speaking from a population perspective, and we went
to war for like twenty years after nine to eleven.
Not saying that was the right call, you know, but
I'm saying, like, what is the appropriate response, Like doesn't
Israel have every right to, you know, want to annihilate
Iran if they're a terror attack like that?
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Absolutely they do. And anyone that disputes that is biased
in a way that I don't understand. Israel beliefs Iran
was behind that. We have circumstantial evidence to prove it.
I can tell you when I was in Iraq, I
found Iranian made ordinance, or at least we did. I
won't say me personally, but we found Iranian made ordinance,
and I read reports on the Moni Iranian made ordinance
(13:25):
all the time is just working as security for a
D before I became an EOD technician, and so the
fact that Iran has supported the GHD, the Global GHOD
is pretty obvious. Now. On the nuclear weapons thing, I
think the nuclear weapons is the easiest way to justify
large scale action, and I think that in a little
(13:46):
bit of a way, both the United States and Israel
is using that really as a cover for all the
reasons that Iran needs to be at least weakened. I
don't know on was trying to actively build a bomb
or if being in the eleventh hour of building a
bomb might have been more leverage, because I mean, once
(14:07):
you have the bomb, now you're an actual threat, and
I don't know that you get the same type of
appeasement you're you know, it's kind of like catching a
tiger by the tail. You know, once you catch it,
now you've got a tiger on the other end. And
I think, you know, the responsibility of owning nuclear weapons
is a big one, and I think that as long
as they were capable of and presumably heading towards building
(14:29):
a nuclear weapon, there were a lot of things that
the international community was willing to do to kind of
coltew to them and ask them not to and maybe
those things kind of go away if they get too
far down the road. Maybe they were holding themselves back
in that way because it made such a great point
of leverage. I'm not sure that's totally theoretical, but so
I don't know. There are some intelligence supports that they
(14:50):
weren't advancing in building a nuclear weapon, and Israel says
they were days away, And you know, it's hard because
from my perspective, I heard my entire adult life they
were weeks away, and it's like, how can you be
weeks away for twenty years? Like there is some healthy
skethicism there that I think is appropriate, But at the
end of the day, you take all the nuclear weapons
stuff out of it. Iran has done nothing but try
(15:11):
to undermine and kill the United States and Israel for
at least thirty years. I mean, in nineteen eighty eight
we took out a portion of their navy because they
suckle or they had tried to sink one of our
ships with a mind closing the straight to remove so
you know, go all the way back to Iran country
even before that, and then the hostages in seventy nine,
(15:32):
so it's this idea that Iran has turned the tide,
or hasn't been a bad actor, or hasn't been actively
against us in Israel, that ship is sailed. And so
I think Israel's fully justified in their war against Iran,
whether or without a nuclear weapon, because Iran has tried
to mobilize guerrilla units, militaries and terrorists against Israel actively
(15:53):
and in doing so, against US for a really long time.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
Will this lead to World War three?
Speaker 2 (15:58):
No, anything can lead to World War three. I mean, hell,
you know, Franz Berdinand. I mean, anything can lead to
World War three. That's a part of existing in a
world of nations and armies. But I don't see the
cards on the table for many places to want to
get involved in this. I think that Russia sits it
out because President Trump quite frankly tells Vladimir Putin, if
(16:22):
you are Iran, I'll make sure the Ukrainian War lasts
for the next twenty years. I mean, that's exactly what
that phone call looks like. And Vladimir Putin doesn't want that,
or at least I wouldn't think you would. For China,
it's much more of the economic drivers, and I don't
think it helps them in any way economically to have
a larger scale war. Now China's status quo is to
(16:43):
fight us through proxies. I mean, look at all the
Southeast Asian conflicts, but I just don't see that being
their goal right now. And the Arab nations have all
but said they're sitting it out. So what world powers
go to war against the Allies in this case? I
don't there.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
What are your thoughts in the whole debate about President
Trump's decision to strike or wrong without congressional approval, he.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
Took immediate military action to end a conflict we would
surely be engulfed in. I mean, you can have the
constitutional debate from here to tim Book two. Our constitution
is incredibly important. There are powers in the Constitution given
to the president for such a case. And if you
(17:30):
want to take him the court over it, take him
the court over. The fact is B two bombers flu
bombs dropped and the war is at a ceasefire. So
you know, if you want to pitch a fit about it,
pitch a fit about it, and pass the legislation that
changes it.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
So I want to segue to your book Behind the
badge andswering the call to serve on America's home front,
because when we talk about even this broader conversation about
what's happening in the Middle East and the possibility that
a lot of these conflicts could potentially lead to broader wars,
could potentially lead to boots on the ground, whether it's
in Europe with Russia and Ukraine or with Iran and Israel.
(18:06):
How frustrating is it for you, as someone who has
served and who has also suffered injury as a result
of that surface to sort of have this like cavalier
attitude very often on Capitol Hill about like sending, you know,
boots on the ground, or let's go to war or
you know.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
Yeah, I mean you're essentially you're invoking the ghost of
Lindsay Graham. And I get it. Basically.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
I was kind of poo a step by you're picking
up when I putted out, yeah, you know.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
The one thing I will say about Lindsay Graham is
God bless him. He's consistent. He doesn't backtrack on it,
and that at least means something on Capitol heel and
I think he believes, he believes the policy he advocates
for I don't think he's cavalier about lives being lost.
I think in his heart of hearts, he believes that
strong military action is almost always the answer, and sometimes
it is the answer. But when you have a twenty
(18:58):
year war that consists of really two your wars, where
we decide if we're going to continue it every mid
term and presidential election, that's that's really devastating to your
country's faith in the government and its ability to protect
us by going to war when they need to. So
it's you know, it's kind of like the Boy that
Cried Wolf. We fought this twenty year war against these
(19:19):
ghosts called al Qaeda and the Taliban and in the
countries of Iraq and Afghanistan. And now if there is
a legitimate Middle Eastern threat, who's going to believe it
because we experienced that twenty year war. And that's kind
of the conundrum that President Truck finds himself in because
there are plenty of people on the right and the
left criticizing him for taking action because that's all they
(19:41):
can see. I think it's much different. Number One, Israel
is a completely different factor. I mean, having you know,
we had NATO forces in Afghanistan, but we led the
way we had. They attacked us. We were the ones
that had the gripe. We we responded and retaliated, and
they came in and helped this. Having this what's going
on with Israel and Iran, US helping Israel or US
(20:04):
taking decisive action to ensure it doesn't spread beyond in
my opinion, Iran in Israel. I mean, let's go back
to you know, if Bill Clinton would have taken out
Osama bin Laden, there might not have ever been a
war in Afghanistan. So sometimes the sisive military action is
exactly what prevents war. The difference between the twenty year
(20:24):
war in Iraq and Afghanistan and what's happening with Iran
is one. I don't think the world, especially the Arab world,
has the appetite to feed this radical Islamic terror that's
really spread like wildfire in the nineties and then into
the two thousands. I just don't think the world has
a tolerance for it that it had twenty thirty years ago,
(20:44):
or at least the blind eye to it. I think
the Saudis were behind some of it. I don't think
they have an appetite for it today. Money talks and
bull crap walks, you know, And so I just don't
think that that type of enemy is going to is
going to be what we're fighting. And then conventional warfare.
We are the superpower in the world when it comes
to conventional warfare. So this idea that it would take
(21:06):
twenty years doesn't make sense. I mean, desert storm, in
my opinion, is as much of an analogy to where
we are today, or more so than the wars in
Iraq in Afghanistan.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
Yeah, what all about President Trump? And he did this
recently with the Joint addressed to Congress. He's so good
at sending a message and telling stories through people and
using individuals as an example to tell those stories. And
you did that in your book Behind the Badge. You
tell the stories of nine first responders. Why did you
(21:40):
pick these nine people? And what stories and what were
you hoping to convey with those nine people?
Speaker 2 (21:47):
You know. I like to say I didn't pick these
nine people, these non people picked me, And that was
almost a Peter Popper pick thing there. But yeah, they
picked me. I mean they came into my life, they
are in my life. The first two chats are a
guy that I've known since I was three years old,
and my brother in law that I've known for more
than twenty years. And these are first responders of all
(22:09):
walks of life. Justin Heflin in there is a guy
that I replaced in Afghanistan. He was a radio detech
and became an Indiana State trooper. Caitlin Kotfella is in there,
and she's a police officer down in Tampa. She was
assigned to be my security a few years ago at
an event. It wasn't really an event I needed security yet,
so she invited her to sit down next to me
(22:29):
and have dinner with the table and I got to
hear her story and it just really my jolly at
the floor, Like she's just so inspiring, and so when
I decided to write this book, she was and easy fit.
Sheriff Mark Lamb is on there. I've interviewed him many
times on Fox. He's done a fantastic job showing the
country what a proactive, media friendly sheriff, what a big
(22:50):
impact someone like that can have. And then when you
learn his backstory of how he got there, it's truly inspiring.
It's very American. E Vince Vargas is in there. He's
a Border Patrol search and rescue guy. Before that, he
was an army ranger, and or after both of those things,
he was involved with the guys that created Black Riffle
coffee companies. So he's been a close friend of mine
for a long time. And to learn that this Mexican
(23:11):
American from La became a Border of Patrol search and
rescue guy and saw both sides of that issue and
was so patriotic and wanted to defend his country, but
also was empathetic towards the people he was interdicting and
has so much to say about it that after finding
fame and being on the TV show The Miyans, he
went back to be a journalist for the Border Patrol
to help tell those stories in a time when people
(23:33):
are trying to demonize Border Patrol. I mean, these are
amazing stories that really I would love to tell you
are so unique that they were the best nine in
the world. But the point of the book is that
it could be any nine that wear a badge and
keep us safe every day. Keith Densey and Clay Hendrick
the first two chapters in the book. They're firemen at
Dalton Fire Department, Dalton, Georgia and Northeast and Northwest Georgia's
(23:57):
it's not a super small city, but it's not a
city you know of any It's not a big city.
And their stories are remarkable, the tragedy they've experienced, the
growth that they've had, the triumphs they've experienced, saving people,
saving buildings, helping other people get through their post traumatic
(24:17):
stress of being on a job like that. I mean
Clai Hedrick at one time was working on a fire
truck as a fireman one out of every three days,
riding the ambulance as an EMT one out of every
three days, and working at the non to one one
call center one out of every three days. And to
think that there are people out there that are so
dedicated to saving lives and keeping us safe that they
(24:39):
really they give up their own peace of mind so
we can live in peace.
Speaker 1 (24:43):
We've got more of Joey. If you liked the podcast,
please share on social media or send to your friends.
What is the common thread when interviewing all these people, obviously,
as you just mentioned, people that you know personally as well,
and you deciding to serve as well, what is the
common thread and all these people deciding to put on
(25:05):
a badge or deciding to put on a uniform and
go serve their community or the country.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
It's really quite simple, and it took me a while
to figure this out. Every single one of them, early
on in their career, add something happen in front of
them on the job that really reset their entire perspective.
I mean, you know, you go to police academy or
fire academy, and it's all about tactics and procedures and
what to do and how to do it and how
to be successful. It's rarely showing you the face and
(25:32):
name of a five year old little girl that dies
in a fire or dies in a car wreck that
you're going to have to respond to. And every single
one of them, early on in their career, like for Clay,
it was just about the very first shift. That's what
happens is now you meet the faces and the tragedy
of this job. And every single one of them experienced
that early on and realized and made the decision, as
(25:56):
difficult as that was. And I don't believe after writing
this book to anybody is quite simply born to do it.
I think that they experienced the sadness and the trauma,
just like any of us would have. But every single
one of them decided that it was worth it that
sacrificing their own peace so that we could live in peace.
And when I say live in peace, I mean that
(26:17):
we believe when we walk out the door that if
our house catches on fire, somebody will come put it out.
If we get in a carreg somebody will respond. If
we have a medical emergency, somebody will be there to
help us. Like that's the peace that we live in
in this country. And they decided, each and ever one
of them early in their career it was worth sacrificing
that to keep their community safe. And now they've done
(26:37):
it for ten twenty thirty years.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
Well, you know, because there is a price. Ray, I mean,
you lost your alert, your legs as a marine, you
are a Purple Heart recipient serving as an explosive ordinance
disposal technician in Afghanistan. You look at nine to eleven.
We lost hundreds of first responders during nine to eleven
who ran towards the buildings, who ran towards the attack
to to save them Americans, to save their fellow Americans.
(27:04):
I mean, the price is the price worth it? Is
it price worth the sacrifice?
Speaker 2 (27:10):
One hundred percent of it is. I can speak that
for myself like I would give my legs to keep
this country safe over and over again like Groundhog's Day,
and I just I know I would. After interviewing these
nine first responders, knowing the dozens more that are in
my life, they make that decision every time they go
out there. Let me tell you a quick story if
I can so. Keith Dimpsry, my brother in law, was
(27:34):
his first jobs at Marietta, which touches Atlantis, so it
has a lot of the same types of calls as
a big city. It is part basically of the Atlanta footprint.
And for about a month they ran calls every shift
that were just insane, you know, john buildings catching on fire,
homes catching on fire, big bag car wrecks, huge medical
overdose emergencies where you know they go in and it's
(27:56):
it's a home with domestic violence and all kinds of
stuff that they have to clean up to save his life.
And there was just one call after another and on
that shift for a lot of young firemen. So at
the end of that month, the city saw it fit
to give them an award. So they gave them an
award for going through and doing all of that in
such a short period of time. In the middle of
all that, Keith and another young fireman responded to a
(28:17):
house fire. The family somehow got out, but there were
two little girls that didn't, and they went in to
get them and they went into the bedroom. They searched
all over the bedroom. What they found out was there
was a pile of stuffed animals, and the little girls
crawled under those stuffed animals. They going to keep them safe,
and of course it did the opposite, and they perished.
And so when Keith got that award, it broke his
(28:38):
heart and he's never worn the award. It's one of
the most traumatic things that he's ever gone through. And
eventually I had to point out to Keith, hey, brother,
you need to understand you didn't get that award because
of what happened that night. You got that award because
you put your gear on the next day and went
back to work after what happened that night. You didn't
give up, you didn't quit continue to be that guy
(29:01):
and you continue to save people. You know. I wish
that every first responder could always say they batted a thousand,
but that just simply isn't the case. And so that's
that's the type of sacrifice that we see when you
can experience something like that and still go put your
gear on the next day and go into a burning
building and have those memories, those those haunting memories, and
(29:23):
today though you save somebody. I mean, that's who we
have out there, and that's who we live beside, that's
who we go to church with, that's who's in the
pickup line when we pick our kids up from school,
or those kind of people, and we're just so lucky
in this country to have them.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
What's so interesting is, you know, I've interviewed a lot
of people for the podcast. Obviously we engage with a
lot of people with their jobs at Fox, and you
look at a lot of professions, there can be a
lot of arrogance, particularly looking at Congress and some of
these other places. And I will say that of all
the first responders I've interviewed, particularly or military veterans, there's
such a humility that comes with it, and like a
(30:00):
really like if you're like, oh, you're a hero, they're like, no,
don't say that. What do you think is behind that?
Speaker 2 (30:05):
I think it's it's cultural. You be in EOD tech.
I understand it a little bit because in EOD, especially
Marine Corpo D, we weed out the guys that are
all about themselves because eventually they'll do something dangerous so
other people are impressed. But in doing that dangerous thing,
there is their lives and other people's lives. So you
can't have heroes in heroic jobs. You can't have people
(30:28):
looking for the pats on the back and the ground
and the adulation in jobs that they are so dangerous
and self sacrificing that they may one day rate it
when people say he won the Purple Heart or he
won the Medal of Honor, that's that's really horrible. You
earn those things, but you don't win them. They're not
a prize you're out looking for. And so it's the
same thing for these individuals, like they understand that, especially
(30:52):
police officers, they can't go out looking to be a
hero because then they'll make a bad decision. And so
it's a cultural thing bred in them from day one
in good departments and on good forces. And that's most
of them.
Speaker 1 (31:06):
Why did you decide to serve? Why did you decide
to become a marine.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
I'm happy to tell you, and it's not, you know,
like it's not the selfless thing that I admire in
other people. I chose to be a marine because I
come from a poor city and at the time a
poor family, and my parents worked really hard to give
me opportunities that I kind of squandered by being enamored with,
you know, playing football and chasing girls. So when I
graduated high school, I didn't have scholarships to college. And
(31:34):
to their credit, you know, to be fair, my parents
didn't expect college because it was never expected of them.
They were a poor class of people and college wasn't
really on the table, so they just wanted me to
graduate high school. And so a year after graduating high school,
I was I was seventeen when I graduated. So at eighteen,
in my eighteenth year, I realized that I owed it
to my parents to take the opportunities that life had
(31:58):
given me and they had worked for, and go make
something of it. College had passed me by, so the
next available opportunity was the military. So that was the
origin of joining the Marine Corps. Joined the Marine Corps
because when I went to the Navy, they told me
that i'd have health care for the rest of my life.
When I went to the Air Force, they told me
to teach me a job that I could use when
(32:18):
I got out of the Air Force. When I went
to the Army, they told me that I would have
the GI bill to go to college after the Army.
None of them told me how great being in those
three services would be like my time actually in them.
When I went to the Marine Corps, they said being
a Marine is a privilege and you may have what
it takes to earn it, and that just that was it.
That's what I was looking for, that type of challenge.
(32:39):
I was earning a title, and it resonated with me.
But both of those reasons are kind of selfish. They
were about me. It wasn't until I went to boot
camp and had Joe instructors that had just come back
from a rock that the selfless and sacrifice part of
it really resonated with me.
Speaker 1 (32:56):
Hey, July, before we go, what do you hope people
take away from this book?
Speaker 2 (33:00):
I hope people read this book and do two things.
One understand much better what people go through to keep
them safe. That way they is they interact with them,
because nobody's happy when they get pulled over first speeding ticket.
But if you read this book and you can kind
of see behind the eyes of that person on the
other side of your window when you're getting that speeding ticket,
(33:21):
then you just think for a second about all that
guy or gal has been through in the last week,
and that they're not pulling you over because they hate you.
They're pulling you over because they had to respond to
a card just like yours. It was plastered all over
the road last week. You'll have a better understanding of
what they go through and maybe try to live more responsibly.
And then on the other side of it, what I
really hope happens is that first responder families read it
(33:44):
and understand their hero better, because I don't think most
first responders are exceptionally vulnerable with their families and they
think they're protecting them, but a lot of times they
just leave them in the dark so much that they
don't know what's going on behind their eyes. And I
think it'll do both of those things.
Speaker 1 (34:00):
Joey, can I tell you something? To be honest, When
I first met you, I didn't know if I should
call you Joey Jones or Johnny Jones.
Speaker 2 (34:08):
It's a debate that still resonates every day. But most
of my friends that Jane would call me.
Speaker 1 (34:13):
Joey, Well, you are my friend and hero in my eyes,
and you're just a really smart guy, and I always
love being on with you. You always just make really smart,
intelligent points, also filled with a lot of common sons,
which isn't so common these days.
Speaker 2 (34:28):
So those are those are gracious words, and I appreciate
it because certainly you're smart and fun to work with.
And that's what's great about this business, especially being on
the right side of it, is that you're aul such
good people.
Speaker 1 (34:42):
And even though you make fun of me sometimes, we're
so Thanks for making the time. I know this book's
going to be huge success. I'm so happy for you,
and I hope that we are filling in together soon.
Speaker 2 (34:55):
Yeah, I'm sure I'll see you soon.
Speaker 1 (34:56):
That was my friend and colleague from Fox News, Joey
joe Zones. Appreciate him for making the time to come
on the show. Appreciate his service. I mean, the guy
is a freaking hero. Appreciate you guys at home for
listening every Tuesday and Thursday, but you can listen throughout
the week until next time
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Clay Travis
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