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Ronny Jackson, the embattled former Veterans Affairs Secretary nominee, is the married father of three and hails from Texas.
Jackson was raised in Levelland, Texas. That’s a community of just over 13,000 people located in Hockley County, Texas.
Jackson withdrew his name from consideration for VA Secretary after he was hit with a slew of accusations, some of which the White House and Secret Service now say the evidence doesn’t support. “Secret Service has just informed me that Senator Jon Tester’s statements on Admiral Jackson are not true,” President Donald Trump wrote on April 28, 2018 on Twitter. “There were no such findings. A horrible thing that we in D.C. must live with, just like phony Russian Collusion. Tester should lose race in Montana. Very dishonest and sick!”
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Jackson Is a Married Father of Three Who Has Served in Three Administrations
Jackson is married to wife, Jane, and the couple has three children. “Jackson married Jane E. Annable in Galveston on Jan. 30, 1993. They now live in Silver Spring, Maryland, and have three children,” reported AJC.
The Galveston Daily-News ran the marriage announcement in 1993. You can see photos of Jackson’s family above and later in this story, although Heavy has blurred out the faces of the children to protect their privacy.
Ronny Jackson’s U.S. Navy biography says Rear Adm. Ronny L. Jackson “is a native of Levelland, Texas, and graduated from Texas A&M University in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology. He then went on to attend medical school at the University of Texas Medical Branch, graduating in 1995 with his Doctor of Medicine. He began his active duty naval service in 1995 at the Portsmouth Naval Medical Center in Virginia, where he completed his internship in transitional medicine.”
He served in Iraq as “the emergency medicine physician in charge of resuscitative medicine for a forward deployed Surgical Shock Trauma Platoon in Taqaddum, Iraq.” While there, he was selected as White House physician. He’s served in that capacity for the past three administrations, acting as physician for both President Barack Obama and President Donald Trump.
“Since arriving at the White House, he has directed the Executive Health Care for the President’s Cabinet and Senior Staff, served as physician supervisor for the Camp David Presidential Retreat, held the position of physician to the White House and led the White House Medical Unit as its director,” the biography reads.
“He has served as White House physician during the past three administrations and was the appointed physician to the president for President Barack Obama. He currently serves as the appointed physician to the president for President Donald J. Trump.”
2. Jackson’s Parents were Surprised When He Wanted to Be a Doctor But Couldn’t Afford Medical School
GettyUS President Donald Trump shakes hands with White House Physician Rear Admiral Dr. Ronny Jackson.
Jackson’s mother, Norma, said she and her husband were surprised by their son’s chosen profession.
“He was fixing to graduate, and he called me and his daddy, and told us he had decided he wanted to be a doctor. And we thought, ‘What in the world?’ But anyway, he made a doctor, and we’re glad for that,” Norma Jackson said.
He joined the military in part because he couldn’t afford medical school otherwise, The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reported, quoting Ronny Jackson as saying, “My parents, they didn’t really have the money to fork over and help me pay for med school. My mom and dad kind of instilled in me, and I think a lot of other people when I was growing up in Levelland were the same way, they didn’t like to spend money they didn’t have.”
3. Jackson’s Father Says Ronny Worked in a Theater & Supermarket Growing Up
GettyPresident Donald Trump and his White House physician Dr. Ronny Jackson, left, listen as US Secretary of Veterans Affairs David J. Shulkin speaks about new technology used by the Department of Veterans Affairs during an event in the Roosevelt Room of the White House August 3, 2017 in Washington, DC.
Waymon Jackson, Ronny Jackson’s father, also spoke to The Avalanche-Journal.
The newspaper reported that Waymon described Ronny as “a typical kid growing up,” and said he worked in a theater and at United Supermarkets. According to the newspaper, Waymon and Norma Jackson live in a community called Possum Kingdom, and the family remains close.
Ronny Jackson also has a brother and sister and “a lot of my family will show up at Possum Kingdom, and we’ll spend most of our vacation there because my kids enjoy the lake a lot,” he told the newspaper.
4. Jackson’s Son Is Attending the Naval Academy & His Younger Son Wants to Be a Naval Pilot
Ronny Jackson’s oldest son is attending the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. His youngest son is in high school and wants to be a Naval pilot. His daughter is earning a master’s in Business Administration, according to her Facebook page.
“Shout out & thank you to everyone devoting their lives to the military and protecting our country!” Jackson’s daughter wrote on Facebook with the above photo. She indicated on Facebook that she is community coordinator for the Office of Social Justice at a university and was a White House intern working in the Office of Scheduling and Advance at the White House. A photo on Facebook shows her with Barack Obama, but she also posed under a photo of George W. Bush and wrote, “Get some Republican representation in the mix also ;) #GeorgeBush.”
Jackson’s daughter with President Obama.
“I am an empowering combination of both a businesswoman and a social justice advocate. I look at the world through a lens of human dignity and solidarity,” Jackson’s daughter wrote on LinkedIn. “I have always had an interest in service both as a civic duty and lifestyle. I have invested a good part of my academic and professional life to understanding the social injustices in our society. Since I believe that business plays a major role in shaping our world, I hope to one day work in a business with a mission to continuously take action against these injustices.”
5. President Trump Wrote That the Allegations ‘Absolutely Devastated the Wonderful Jackson Family’
GettyPhysician to the President Ronny Jackson gives a thumbs up after U.S. President Donald Trump leaves Walter Reed National Military Medical Center following his annual physical examination January 12, 2018 in Bethesda, Maryland.
President Trump also mentioned the Jackson family in some of his tweets, saying they have been devastated by the allegations.
“Allegations made by Senator Jon Tester against Admiral/Doctor Ron Jackson are proving false. The Secret Service is unable to confirm (in fact they deny) any of the phony Democrat charges which have absolutely devastated the wonderful Jackson family. Tester should resign,” Trump tweeted.
According to CNN, Tester, now under fire from Trump, “had raised concerns about allegations against Jackson, including that he allegedly loosely handled prescription pain medications, was intoxicated during an overseas trip, and created a toxic work environment.” Jackson then withdrew his name from consideration. Jackson has denied accusations made against him.
The Secret Service praised Jackson’s service and pushed back at yet another accusation.
In addition, the Secret Service offered two paragraphs on “outstanding professional” Dr. Ronny Jackson and explained how he is crucial to their mission.
Among the accusations, CNN reported, was one that Jackson allegedly “wrecked a government vehicle after leaving a Secret Service going-away party.” However, there was no evidence this was true, according to paperwork the White House gave the network.