{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://noem.house.gov/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=6F9509D4-3EF3-4D6C-936D-2B2AF45F0EBC", "Weekly Column: Home for Christmas", "2013-12-20", "2013", "2013-12", "Republican", "House", "SD", "Kristi Noem", "N000184", "noem.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "By Rep. Kristi Noem \r\n\tChristmas 1943 carried with it a lot of optimism.\u00a0 Unemployment numbers were falling fast due to World War II-related employment, meaning the Great Depression was all but over.\u00a0 Manufacturers had successfully transitioned from making things like automobiles to producing essential military materials, further growing the U.S.\u2019s influence over the manufacturing industry.\u00a0 The year had also been seen as a turning point in the war, largely due to the success of U.S. military operations in Europe.\r\nNonetheless, the optimism that accompanied the year was singed with the harsh realities of wartime America.\u00a0 Canned goods, meat, cheeses, butter and cooking oils were rationed due to shortages of certain materials.\u00a0 And millions of American service members were deployed to serve in the grisly war.\r\nIt is no surprise that Bing Crosby\u2019s \u201cI\u2019ll Be Home For Christmas\u201d also debuted in 1943 and became an instant Christmas classic.\u00a0 It characterized what many families in America were going through.\u00a0 There was an undeniable optimism that the war would soon be over, but those emotions were mixed with the reality that soldiers serving abroad would be home for Christmas \u201conly in their dreams,\u201d as Bing Crosby sings.\r\nToday, we are again fighting to defend our nation and the values we represent.\u00a0 Just last week, I participated in an activation ceremony for members of the South Dakota Army National Guard, who will first head to Fort Hood, Texas, for training and then to Afghanistan.\r\nFor some of them, it is their first deployment.\u00a0 Others have already served tours in Iraq.\u00a0 Regardless of their service record, when our country needed their expertise in Afghanistan, they answered the call.\r\nNow, it is our collective responsibility to come together as a community around their families \u2013 not only during the holidays, but throughout the deployment.\u00a0 We must be there to cheer their kids on when they win a basketball game or nail that solo at a school concert - just as we are when they need a shoulder to lean on.\u00a0 And we must be there again when it is time to welcome these soldiers home.\r\nIn the days leading up to December 25, 68 soldiers of the 152nd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion of the South Dakota Army National Guard completed their five-month deployment to Afghanistan and 124 soldiers with the 235th Military Police Company completed their nine-month deployment to Afghanistan.\u00a0 At ceremonies in Pierre and Rapid City, these women and men were able to tell their spouses, parents, families and communities: \u201cI\u2019m home for Christmas.\u201d\r\nTo those soldiers: Welcome home.\u00a0 I hope you know how grateful South Dakota is for your service and your sacrifice.\u00a0\r\nBetween the last-minute gift wrapping and your family\u2019s traditions, I hope you join me in taking a moment to give thanks for all those who are home this Christmas \u2013 our troops, our college students, our families who have scattered across the country.\u00a0\r\nAs Army Gen. Sidney B. Berry wrote to his wife on Christmas Eve 1966 from a village in South Vietnam: \u201cPerhaps the best aspect of separation is our increased appreciation and understanding of each other.\u201d\u00a0 This holiday season, take the time to be appreciative, to be understanding.\u00a0 From my family to yours, Merry Christmas.", 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/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=6F9509D4-3EF3-4D6C-936D-2B2AF45F0EBC"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.056839944794774, "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"}