Tweet

Joey Jones

26 Aug, 11 tweets, 2 min read

Thread: I have been fielding/connecting individual veterans’ efforts to get friends and their families out of Afghanistan. I’ve spoken with some Americans in Afghanistan. This thread is their messages directly to me over the last week:

“I’ve been helping try to get an interpreter out-his wife is 9 months pregnant. We were so so close but they are basically closing evacuation ops tomorrow from what I hear so I don’t think they are going to get out.”

8/25

“I have been working from 6 am to midnight over the last 3 weeks. My family is still stuck. Tying to evacuate them on 70 of my staff. The irony is that I am helping evacuate others to the US, But can’t do anything for my own family Because of bureaucracy.”

8/24

“I got my terp out in 2020. He lives in Dallas now but it took us 9 years to get him here. I’m trying to get his brother and his family out now”

8/25

“terp that worked with eod techs. He is a us citizen here in the states his wife is in Afghanistan 9 months pregnant he is trying to bring her.”

8/25

“It's crazy what the [EOD] techs are doing on their own in order to help those interpretersand their families that helped us.”

8/25

“Nevermind. Got word even the agency is pulling everyone out. Got her a fam escort and contact at gate. The rest is prayer. I heard from a contact that it’s all over in 48.”

8/25

“started trying to get 2 buddies out of Kabul a week and a half ago. Terp and commando. I worked with orphans and refugees for ten years in conflict & disaster zones. So, I began figuring out what they needed. Well, before I knew it, by Friday I was helping over 1,500 SIVs”

8/23

“What I’ve witnessed in this time is absolutely UNFORGIVABLE. What this administration has done. We have AMCIT families still in hiding.
The Taliban has already killed a few of my terps’ family members”

8/23

“no one from the government will get me out. so ive gotta take a risk ans go soon”

8/17

“Please rise my message to the world, I'm habib noori from Afghanistan, presidential and Ministry award holder, its been 5 day's I'm waiting in front of HKIA I'm waiting for evacuation to get in to airport kindly help me my life is in danger I'm not safe i want to get out of Afg”

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More from @Johnny_Joey

Joey Jones

@Johnny_Joey

16 Aug

Thread on Afghanistan: Many of you have heard the term “fighting season” the last few days in regards to the war in Afghanistan. Some of you may know what this means. But beyond the weather, there are other interesting factors involved. I’ll explain in this thread

Three factors determine the fighting season for Afghanistan: economy, logistics, recruitment. Interestingly enough, many of these factor also dictate our lack of overall success in the war as well.

Economy. The cash crop in afghanistan is the “opium poppy”. That beautiful red flower we consider a memorial blossom in the western world has a certain flare for producing opium. The process of harvesting this opium however, is incredibly grueling and has a relatively small yield

Read 9 tweets

Joey Jones

@Johnny_Joey

15 Aug

Thread: I woke up yesterday morning at 5am in NYC to go on air and talk candidly about this debacle. I spent 15 minutes putting medicine and bandages on the open wound on my right nub. by 5pm I was on air in atlanta reapplying cream and counting the minutes to take off my legs.

Ive sat in wheelchair all morning listening to news coverage of Afghanistan. I had a “honey do” list that includes an hour at the gym but both nubs are blistered and it’s still too painful to put my legs back on until this evening, when I go back on air.

11 years later and I’m still bleeding for this perhaps God, damned war. It still controls my life and dictates my days. This war will not end for me until the day I die. So I’ll fight. I’ll fight by holding back frustration, by withstanding pain, by smiling anyway.

Read 5 tweets

Joey Jones

@Johnny_Joey

15 Aug

I’m going to share some quotes in this thread, without context, from my group text with my close friends who served in the most violent of combat in afghanistan. This is simply to let you know the array of emotions they’re feeling.

“JJJ, not being a dick at all but what does that mean? Great, there's a bunch of people that support wounded vets out there. Guess what Bro, there's a bunch of "wounded" vets that never hear shit and don't give a fuck. I'm sorry JJJ, just giving you the raw perspective.”

Read 13 tweets

Joey Jones

@Johnny_Joey

30 May

Thread: I can’t drink anymore. When I do, the ghosts show up. They put their arm on my shoulder, look at me, body parts missing, faces half blown off. They smile with what is left of their smile. They look at me with wisdom I can’t fathom and hold me with love I can’t understand.

I just can’t face them. How do I look upon a man with honest eyes, knowing I’m here breathing, laughing, complaining and he’s lying dead beneath my… us. I can’t have that tough conversation with any of them. The one where I tell them I miss them. Where I say I’m sorry and they

reply “for what?” The conversation where they ask me about their kids-toddlers then, adults now-their widows.. some remarried and happy, some drowning in sorrow and regret. I can’t look upon their faces and keep a dry eye. So when I drink, and my brothers come, I cry. I get angry

Read 20 tweets

Joey Jones

@Johnny_Joey

20 Mar

Thread: One thing I learned to do early on was to find a place inside my mind to exist comfortably. It was incredibly useful in the corps when we’d get extremely cold or wet. But was invaluable laying in a hospital, everything in bandages and not able to move a limb.

Severe Pain, or even the frustration of being bandaged, full of tubes and unable to move can occupy our minds. So we have to take control back. You start at your finger tips, work your way down you limbs, deep into your chest, closing each section of your body behind you like a

water tight chamber on a sinking ship. Like water, the pain and discomfort lock behind a door and cant get to you, so you not longer feel it, suffer from it, as you make your way into the spot you’ve prepared for yourself inside

Read 4 tweets

Joey Jones

@Johnny_Joey

5 Mar

Thread: One of the hardest things I live with, in the realm of regret, is that at the same time I got hurt my dad was hitting rock bottom. Addiction, depression. I think what I’ve realized, and struggle with, is that I was certainly selfish that first 5yrs after my injury.

What I know to be true is, had I dedicated myself to him I could’ve saved him. But what I also know to be true is -I couldn’t have saved both of us. I had to be dedicated to remaking myself. I had to become a Phoenix of sorts. Find and board and body surf this crazy wave.

He was an anchor of emotional baggage and frustration. I was so resentful that when I needed him most he couldn’t be the rock I needed him to be because that’s exactly what he needed me to be for him.

Read 6 tweets

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