[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 200 (Wednesday, December 19, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H10323-H10324]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               RECOGNIZING THE STORY OF THE FORCE FAMILY

  (Ms. TENNEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the story of dear 
friends of mine, Robert and Donna Force, who are deeply committed to 
carrying on the tradition of family farming.
  Robert served honorably as a member of the 106th Rescue Wing, a unit 
of the Army National Guard. In 1986, Robert and Donna Force purchased 
96 acres of land in Gilbertsville, New York. It is where they would 
spend the next 26 years building their farm and growing their family.
  All told, by 2010, the family had expanded to 111 acres of land in 
the beautiful Catskill region of upstate New York. The family viewed 
the farm as their retreat, a place of many happy memories. They cleared 
the land to build a barn, renovated their farmhouse, and planted new 
trees across the landscape.
  Sadly, in 2014, the Forces were forced off their land due to an 
accounting error in their local county. The county failed to cooperate 
with them, instead putting their lovely farm up for sale and auction.
  Mr. Force, as a veteran, also cared for his wife, Donna, who was 
suffering grave, life-threatening medical problems through this and up 
until today. The Force family believes this is part of a larger plan to 
push families off their property, auctioning land to the highest 
bidder.
  Since that day, the Forces have continued to fight to save their 
farm, their

[[Page H10324]]

property, and their family legacy. For more information, see ``Save the 
Force Farm'' on Facebook and social media.
  Thank you so much to the Forces and to Mr. Force for his honorable 
service to our Nation.

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