{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://noem.house.gov/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=E673E324-3D9F-483F-B4F1-CCFA40CD3118", "Weekly Column: A Veteran's Story", "2014-11-07", "2014", "2014-11", "Republican", "House", "SD", "Kristi Noem", "N000184", "noem.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "I first heard Arthur Hiland\u2019s story from his daughters.\u00a0 Born in Aberdeen, he was drafted to serve in the European Theatre during World War II.\u00a0 He helped defeat the Nazis, earning him a Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart, and then returned home to South Dakota.\u00a0\u00a0 He rarely, if ever, spoke of his time in the military, but his account of wartime America was never lost.\r\nAfter he and his wife passed, his daughters found a scrapbook.\u00a0 It weighed maybe 20 pounds and contained much of his wartime story:\u00a0 His draft notice.\u00a0 Mementos from the places he was stationed.\u00a0 Pictures.\u00a0 Newspaper clippings.\u00a0 His discharge papers.\u00a0\r\nTo his daughters, this book has been a peek into their father\u2019s past.\u00a0 To you and me, it is a snapshot of our nation\u2019s history from a man on the front line.\r\nThis week, we celebrate the women and men who, like Arthur, have served our nation and earned the title of \u201cveteran.\u201d\u00a0 We remember their stories and formally recognize their contributions to the moments that have defined the American spirit and our nation\u2019s resilience.\r\nWe can never repay our veterans for these contributions, but I encourage you to take the opportunity this Veterans Day to actively demonstrate your appreciation for their service.\u00a0 Participate in your hometown\u2019s Veterans Day celebration.\u00a0 Volunteer at a VA medical facility, the VFW, or a local charity that helps veterans or military families.\u00a0 There are countless ways to show your gratitude and respect.\r\nOf course, there have been many instances where our nation has fallen short of giving veterans the admiration they deserve. Widespread mismanagement, data manipulation and subpar care within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) became a topic of national debate this year \u2013 and rightfully so.\u00a0 I was proud to help Congress pass a bill that the president signed to help address the VA\u2019s most significant problems, but we must continue to implement this legislation and identify other areas where remedies are necessary.\u00a0\r\nWe also have work yet to do to protect the VA hospital in Hot Springs.\u00a0 This facility has provided critical care to thousands of South Dakota veterans, including Arthur Hiland.\u00a0 Like many of his comrades, he suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.\u00a0 He received treatment in Hot Springs and spent his career giving back to the facility, working as a switchboard operator and in the accounting department.\r\nWhile they\u2019ll never know for sure, his family believes the scrapbook was perhaps a therapeutic exercise to cope with what he\u2019d seen in battle.\u00a0 Earlier this year, they donated the scrapbook to the Library of Congress as part of the Veterans History Project \u2013 an effort to collect, preserve, and make personal accounts of American veterans accessible so we too could benefit from the story of a man on the front line.\r\nThis Veterans Day, please join me in honoring our veterans and recognizing the sacrifices they\u2019ve made \u2013 and continue to make \u2013 so that our freedom, safety and independence remain secure.", 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=E673E324-3D9F-483F-B4F1-CCFA40CD3118"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.6736270152032375, "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"}