{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.hydesmith.senate.gov/tribute-jack-rutland-jr", "TRIBUTE TO JACK RUTLAND, JR.", "2023-11-08", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Cindy Hyde-Smith", "H001079", "www.hydesmith.senate.gov", "hydesmith", "https://www.hydesmith.senate.gov/newsroom", "scraper", "Congressional Record Vol. 169, No. 185\n\n(Senate - November 8, 2023) PDF\n\nMrs. HYDE-SMITH. Mr. President, it is an honor to pay tribute\n\nto Mr. Jack Rutland, Jr., of Lincoln County, MS, who for more than 10\n\nyears has shown an inspiring dedication to sharing the stories and\n\nmemories of armed service veterans in Mississippi. By conducting radio\n\ninterviews with veterans, their experiences can be appreciated by\n\ncitizens all across Mississippi. Mr. Rutland has shown that his\n\nappreciation and respect for the men and women who have served in our\n\narmed forces goes beyond that of an average citizen, and America needs\n\nmore people like Jack.\n\nJack Rutland, Jr., was born on May 20, 1948, in Birmingham, AL, while\n\nhis father was stationed at an Air Force base there. His father, Jack\n\nRutland, Sr., enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps prior to World War\n\nII, and he served during the war for 3 years in countries like England,\n\nNorth Africa, and Italy. During his World War II service, the senior\n\nMr. Rutland earned five battle stars. Upon the completion of the war,\n\nhe remained in the Air Force for over 20 years. Once he retired, the\n\nfamily returned to Lawrence County, MS. From experiencing his father's\n\npatriotic dedication to our Nation, Jack grew up with a sincere\n\nreverence for the veterans who served to defend the United States of\n\nAmerica.\n\nIn 2003, the Military Memorial Museum in Brookhaven, MS, opened to\n\ninform the public of local veterans and the town's service history\n\nthrough artifacts, newspaper clippings, and other memorabilia. The\n\nmuseum is operated completely by volunteers, one of them\n\nbeing Jack Rutland, Jr. On the 10-year anniversary of the Military\n\nMemorial Museum's opening, Jack interviewed four veterans. His\n\ninterviews were captivating and respectfully executed, leading the\n\npublic to want more. Today, Jack has conducted more than 50 interviews\n\nwith veterans, some as recently as a few weeks ago. These interviews\n\ncan be heartbreaking, like the story of World War II veteran Mr. Howard\n\nBritt who had to leave his beloved lieutenant in the field after he had\n\nbeen wounded. While in enemy territory, there was no time to wait. A\n\nstory from Mr. Don Hemphill was similarly moving, detailing his arrival\n\non the beaches of Normandy on the evening of D-day and seeing the\n\nwreckage of equipment left behind, as well as American soldiers who had\n\nnot made it. The scene was so harrowing that Mr. Hemphill still could\n\nnot talk about it when he was interviewed. In addition to these\n\npoignant interviews were inspirational recollections, like Mr. Hoyte\n\nCase who saw the iconic flag raised on Iwo Jima atop Mount Suribachi\n\nfrom his ship as he left the battle. Mr. Herbert Savell recounted his\n\nlong journey home from the Pacific following the end of the war,\n\ntraveling by cattle car to return to his small hometown in the\n\nMississippi Delta. Walking down the aisle of the church and sitting in\n\nthe pew beside his mother was how he returned. Each interview shows\n\nanother side of the tragedies and triumphs faced by veterans.\n\nThe work that Jack has done is necessary to help younger generations\n\nunderstand the commitments and sacrifices made by our Nation's\n\nveterans. Preserving the oral histories of those who served helps us\n\nbetter understand the challenging circumstances they underwent and the\n\nemotional impacts they experienced during that time. These veterans had\n\nimmense influence on our country from their brave and selfless duty of\n\nprotecting our Nation's values and freedoms. Through the diligent work\n\nof Jack Rutland, Jr., we can learn a bit more about the Nation we are\n\ntoday from those who served in the armed forces for us.\n\nMy life has truly been enhanced by knowing Jack and his wife Shirley,\n\nwho reside in my corner of the world. They have an outstanding family\n\nthat includes their daughter Jamie, son-in-law Joshua Grosshans, and\n\nthree grandchildren: Avery Rose, Jack Seton, and Alice Faye.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.hydesmith.senate.gov/tribute-jack-rutland-jr"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.892092939466238, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}