35 cents
VOL. 5/ISSUE 16
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2017
Shulkin unanimously confirmed
‘Ol’ Rough and Ready’ 12th president was a warhorse — but no one knew his politics Mary Kemper STAFF WRITER
Patrick McCallister
mkemper@veteranvoiceweekly.com
pmccallister@veteranvoiceweekly.com
Maj. Gen. Zachary Taylor was notable for many things, not the least of which was his all-too-short presidency. But “Ol’ Rough and Ready,” as the 12th president came to be known, served in many a conflict, starting just before the War of 1812, when he was commissioned a first lieutenant. Taylor earned distinction in the Seminole War, fighting in the Battle of Lake Okechobee. Before that, he fought in the Black Hawk War. The Alamo was overrun by Mexican Gen. Santa Anna in 1838 — but 10 years later, Taylor defeated him at the Battle of Buena Vista by skillful use of artillery against the much larger Mexican force. By this time, Taylor had six children with his wife, the former Margaret Smith. Their second daughter, Sarah Knox “Knoxie” Taylor, married a young officer by the name of Jefferson Davis, against her father’s wishes. The general knew all too well the toll military life could take on a family. Sadly, Sarah died just a year into her marriage from malaria. She was just 21. The decade before the Civil War was shaping up to be a turbulent one. Slavery was tearing the country apart. Partly because of Taylor’s long and illustrious war service, he was widely admired. He was seen as a fairly safe choice among the polarized population — the only Louisiana native
FOR VETERAN VOICE
The Senate sent President Donald Trump a sort of valentine the evening of Monday, Feb. 13. It unanimously confirmed Dr. David Shulkin to head the Department of Veteran Affairs. The confirmation seems to be a bright spot of non-partisan progress in an otherwise politically contentious Washington D.C. Shulkin was the last undersecretary of health at the VA in the Barrack Obama administration. “There’s plenty of room for accountability and reform at the VA, and confirming Dr. Shulkin as the David Shulkin new VA Secretary could be a positive step in providing our veterans with the care and customer experience they deserve,” Representative Bill Posey said in an emailed response to Veteran Voice queries. The Senate confirms Cabinet appointments without House votes. “While I have not yet had the opportunity to meet Dr. Shulkin, I have heard others speak very highly of him,” Posey continued. “His appointment affords veterans the opportunity to have a respected medical doctor lead the agency, while his lifelong experience serving
See SHULKIN page 8
Source: Wikimedia Commons This painting of 12th American President Zachary Taylor was by Joseph Bush, and was commissioned for Taylor’s 1848 electoral victory.
to occupy the presidency, Taylor was a slave-owner himself, and thus wasn’t seen as a threat to south-
ern interests. However, he didn’t push
See TAYLOR page 5