{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://noem.house.gov/index.cfm/in-the-news?ContentRecord_id=790B9D48-4393-4CB0-82FA-344568CD4F18", "A Deployment Ceremony On Veterans Day", "2016-11-11", "2016", "2016-11", "Republican", "House", "SD", "Kristi Noem", "N000184", "noem.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "KDLT \r\n\tIn Huron Friday, more than 150 service men and women with the 153rd Engineer Battalion and their families came together for a deployment ceremony.\r\nLTC Trent Bruce said it was significant to hold the event on Veterans Day.\r\n\"Veterans Day is an important day for anyone that wears the uniform and for those that are going to be deploying, it does add something to that for their families,\u201d said LTC Bruce.\r\nFor CPT Joshua Lien, this will be his third deployment.\r\nThe father of six boys said he believes his experience helps leaving home.\r\n\"I think it helps my family, they've done this before. They know how, kind of, all of this works,\u201d said CPT Lien.\r\nHis wife, Crystal, however, said it never gets easier.\r\n\"My boys and I are trying not think about it. We try not to talk about it, we try not to think about it just so we can get through it without doing the ugly cry,\u201d said Lien, with a laugh.\r\nFor families who don't know the feeling of a loved one\u2019s deployment, Lien said it's a lot of mixed emotions.\r\n\"You're immensely proud, you're scared, you're lonely, you miss them, you're overwhelmed. But you're super proud so it's really hard to balance I'm so proud of them, I want to fall into a puddle of tears,\u201d said Lien.\r\nPFC Nicholas Shields, 19, is going on his first deployment.\r\nHe said he\u2019s going into his first mission with a few goals in mind.\r\n\"Getting along with my new teammates and staying cool,\u201d said PFC Shields.\r\nHe said his family supports him \u201c100 percent\u201d and even offered some advice.\r\n\"They just say keep the sand out of your pants,\u201d said PFC Shields.\r\nFor Senator John Thune, he said they appreciated all service men and women, no matter how many deployments they\u2019ve been on.\r\n\"Doing this on veterans day where we have the opportunity to connect the past with the present and this generation of soldiers who are going to answer the call to duty, I think, is especially fitting,\u201d said Sen. Thune.\r\nRepresentative Kristi Noem said the sacrifices these service men and women and their families go through is invaluable.\r\n\"These families are leaving us and leaving their homes to go overseas and keep us safe so that we can all go to bed at night and know that we are going to be protected and safe,\u201d said Rep. Noem.\r\nOn what is a tough day for families, CPT Lien said the message of the day is felt by these troops.\r\n\"I think having a ceremony on Veterans Day means a lot to us,\u201d said CPT Lien.\r\nThe 153rd Engineer Battalion leaves for an eleven month deployment to Kuwait after the holidays.\r\nSome of their mission will include building roads and remodeling barracks on U.S. bases.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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": ["http://noem.house.gov/index.cfm/in-the-news?ContentRecord_id=790B9D48-4393-4CB0-82FA-344568CD4F18"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5669169370085, "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"}