"Anachronism? Maryland Defense Force in battle over control," The Capital, November 1, 1996 <p>The Capital (Annapolis, MD.), November 01, 1996 <p>Copyright 1996 Capital-Gazette Communications, Inc. <p>November 01, 1996, Friday <p>SECTION: Arundel; Pg. B1 <br>HEADLINE: ANACHRONISM? Maryland Defense Force in battle over control <br>BYLINE: By BRADLEY PENISTON <p>The head of the Maryland National Guard may ask the governor to disband the Maryland Defense Force, a little-known state militia with about 150 active members. <p>In response, the force's leaders have asked the governor to take the militia under his personal control. <p>Lt. Gen. James F. Fretterd, head of the state's Military Department, has convened a board of retired Guard and Force leaders to evaluate the Force's future with an eye toward disbanding it. <p>"In our opinion, there is no military mission for them," said Col. Howard S. Freelander, a spokesman for the Military Department. <p>Gov. Parris N. Glendening will have the final say. <p>Since Oct. 1, the general has forbidden the Force to recruit new members or participate in activities beyond its scheduled meetings. He has even withdrawn the Force's funding. <p>Col. Freelander described the all-volunteer Force as a backup for the National Guard that would take over its domestic duties if the entire Guard was called up for overseas military service. <p>But that mission is obsolete in a new era in which military leaders are no longer preparing for allout war, he said. <p>A volunteer organization in the spirit of Colonial militias, the Force was constituted during World Wars I and II and disbanded after each conflict. It reappeared in 1983 as the Cold War heated up. <p>Nowadays, the Force's activities are generally restricted to helping with traffic and crowd control at events such as county fairs. But even this modest mission is inappropriate for a pseudo-military unit, Col. Freelander said. <p>"To do that and do that wearing the uniform of the U.S. Army creates a wrong impression," Col. Freelander said. <p>But Col. Paul T. McHenry of Lothian, who heads the Force, said the militia can offer a wide range of helpful services, like cleanup and rescue during natural disasters. <p>"A calamity all of a sudden brings on a need. Having this prepares us to handle whatever might befall," said Col. McHenry, a lawyer. <p>Col. McHenry admits that the militia's mission has dwindled over the decades as civilian police forces have grown. But he still sees opportunities for an organization of concerned citizens to help. <p>"The format is very, very old. We're just a state militia. This is the same as you would have had in 1890, or 1790," he said. <p>Col. McHenry sent a 17-page letter to Mr. Glendening earlier this month asking that the Force be removed from Lt. Gen. Fretterd's control and transferred to the governor's. He said Lt. Gen. Fretterd was trying to remove a threat to the National Guard's turf. <p>"You can't be commanded by your enemy," he said. <p>Ray Feldman, a spokesman for Mr. Glendening, said the governor had received the letter and will probably make a decision in a matter of weeks.