DALTON, Ga. — Dalton builds people with character.

That was the message retired U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Johnny “Joey” Jones, himself a Dalton native, brought to the Dalton Convention Center Tuesday night.

“Thank y’all for raising me right,” said Jones, who was the keynote speaker at the annual Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce banquet. “I want all of you to know how proud I am to be from this town.”

Jones, who is a Fox News contributor, served two combat deployments and eight years of active duty in the Marine Corps. In 2010, he suffered a life-changing injury while deployed in Afghanistan as an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) technician. An IED (improvised explosive device) blast cost him both legs below the knees.

Jones recalled awaking in a hospital in Germany. His first words were to ask a nurse about a fellow Marine who was with him when the IED exploded.

“Don’t worry, hon,” she said. “You are going to walk again.”

Jones said the nurse did not tell him what he wanted to hear, she told him what he needed to hear and when he needed to hear it. He said everyone in the room had the ability to tell someone what they need to hear, when they need to hear it.

He said that everyone faces challenges and hardships in life.

“Let someone help you when you need help, and be the first one to offer help when someone else needs it,” he said.

Raised in Whitfield County, Jones enlisted in the Marine Corps about a year after graduating from high school. He deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan. Following his 2012 discharge from Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Jones attended Georgetown University and received his bachelor of arts degree in liberal studies concentrated in social and public policy.

“I brag on Dalton all the time, when I am on Fox or when I am out speaking,” Jones said. “I’m really proud of this town.”

Chamber Chairman Tom Bundros called Jones a “local hero.”

“He served his country. He overcame a severe injury to become very successful and to be a regular on national TV,” he said.

The chamber recognized:

.• A.J. Jackson, of Alarm City, as Diplomat of the Year

• William Jarrett, of Jarrett Business Machines, as Small Business Person of the Year.

• Brandon Cawood, of Brandon Cawood Photography, as the recipient of the Chairman’s Award for creating the chamber’s “When You’re in D-Town” video.