MDDF Mass Casualty Exercise

By CPL (MD) Allison Hastings
Maryland Defense Force Public Affairs
10 June 2009

Towson, Md. - The Maryland Defense Force’s 10th Medical Regiment participated in a major multi-agency disaster exercise at Towson University on April 17. This was the MDDF’s second year participating in the event hosted by the university’s College of Health Professions and involved students, faculty, local emergency services, the Maryland National Guard, the Maryland State Police, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Baltimore County Medical Emergency Task and several state and community agencies.



The exercise scenario involved a powerful tornado striking the university and surrounding areas of Towson, creating hundreds of casualties which quickly overwhelmed local first responders and emergency rooms. In real life, Towson University functions as a surge site or “overflow” site in the event of a Baltimore-area mass casualty crisis. The scenario is realistic - in 2001 a tornado rolled across College Park killing two people and injuring more than 50.

The exercise involved some 700 participants, including 500 Towson University students who volunteered to be “casualties.” Among the 67 MDDF participants who provided both medical and operational support to the exercise were 32 doctors, physician’s assistants and nurses.

“One of the unique capabilities of the MDDF is our ability to deploy organized teams of doctors and nurses into an emergency field situation, as in this scenario,” said Brig. Gen. (MD) Courtney Wilson, MDDF commander.

MDDF personnel were responsible for a number of tasks to include triage instruction, medical support to injured victims and nursing students, mental health support and referrals, security, communications, and establishing an operations center and a field treatment center.

One of the primary objectives of the exercise was to train Towson’s nursing students in triage and to expose them to a realistic and demanding mass causality situation.

“Mission one was training and exposing the young nursing students at the department of nursing at Towson to disaster triage,” said Col. (MD) Wayne Nelson, Jr., deputy commander of the 10th Medical Regiment of the Maryland Defense Force. “They get very little exposure in school and we are one of the few programs in the country that gives them this kind of real life exposure to the five-star disaster triage process.”

MDDF medical personnel taught the nursing students the proper execution of the triage process and reviewed each student’s assessment and treatment plans for the victims. Defense force members were also responsible for carrying out open communications with National Guard members both on the ground and in the air and ensuring that the premise was safe at all times.

Although this was a training exercise, the MDDF has done it for real before. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina which struck the Gulf Coast in 2005, MDDF deployed some 250 medical volunteers to Louisiana for 18 days where they established six treatment centers and treated more than 7000 patients.

Headquartered at the Pikesville Military Reservation in Baltimore, the Maryland Defense Force is a volunteer uniformed state military agency organized under the Maryland Military Department. Formally established by the Maryland legislature in 1917, the unit's heritage and traditions trace back to the 17th century.

MDDF is one of a number of State Defense Forces authorized by the U.S. Congress under Title 32 and the respective state legislatures. While specific missions vary from state to state, State Defense Forces exist primarily to augment the capabilities of the National Guard. Employing volunteers who bring military experience and/or civilian professional skills, they supplement the capabilities of the National Guard, assist in National Guard mobilization for federal service, replace National Guard assets deployed out-of-state, and support state homeland security missions. State Defense Forces operate under the command of the Governor, as state Commander-in-Chief, and fall under the operational control of the state Adjutant General. State Defense Forces receive no federal funds and are supported entirely by the state.

For more information about the Maryland Defense Force, go to www.mddefenseforce.org

MDDF Band Honors Veterans

By CPL (MD) Allison Hastings
Maryland Defense Force Public Affairs
1 June 2009

BALTIMORE - The newly formed Maryland Defense Force (MMDF) Band played in two events honoring America’s veterans this Memorial Day weekend. The Band provided ceremonial support for the dedication of Patriots Plaza in Towson and for the 20th Anniversary of the Maryland Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Baltimore.

In Towson on May 22nd the band played at the dedication and renaming of the Towson Court Plaza; now known as Patriots Plaza. The dedication brought out many top officials, to include Brig. Gen. James Adkins, the adjutant general of Maryland, James Smith, the county executive for Baltimore County, as well as a number of veterans of the 29th Infantry Division.

On May 25th the band performed at the 20th Anniversary of the Maryland Vietnam Veterans Memorial ceremony which was attended by many veterans and their families as well as current political and military officials. Maryland’s Governor Martin O’Malley spoke at the event honoring veterans along with Brig. Gen. (MD) Courtney Wilson, commander of the Maryland Defense Force and Brig. Gen. Allyson Solomon, Maryland’s assistant adjutant general-Air.

“The men and women of the Maryland Defense Force are all tremendously proud to be part of these events honoring our fallen veterans and their families,” said Brig. Gen. Wilson. “Our nation is indebted to those who have given the full measure in defense of our freedom.”

The Defense Force Band is directed by Maj. (MD) Jari Villanueva. The band was first authorize late last year and was fully operational in March for their first performance at the Annual MDDF Muster. Currently the band has 24 members and is seeking to expand to 40 members total in the coming months. Opportunities exist for any qualified MDDF members especially within the woodwind section.

“The Maryland Defense Force Band is honored to be part of the many ceremonies that recognize the great accomplishments of this nation’s veterans,” said Maj. Villanueva. “We stand ready to support the citizens of Maryland and our partners the Maryland National Guard wherever and whenever needed.”

Headquartered at the Pikesville Military Reservation in Baltimore, the Maryland Defense Force is a volunteer uniformed state military agency organized under the Maryland Military Department. Formally established by the Maryland legislature in 1917, the unit's heritage and traditions trace back to the 17th century.

MDDF is one of a number of State Defense Forces authorized by the U.S. Congress under Title 32 and the respective state legislatures. While specific missions vary from state to state, State Defense Forces exist primarily to augment the capabilities of the National Guard. Employing volunteers who bring military experience and/or civilian professional skills, they supplement the capabilities of the National Guard, assist in National Guard mobilization for federal service, replace National Guard assets deployed out-of-state, and support state homeland security missions. State Defense Forces operate under the command of the Governor, as state Commander-in-Chief, and fall under the operational control of the state Adjutant General. State Defense Forces receive no federal funds and are supported entirely by the state.

For more information about the Maryland Defense Force, go to www.mddefenseforce.org

For more information about the MDDF band go to www.mddfband.org

Maryland Defense Force Legal Officer Receives Award For Pro Bono Service

By Lt. Col. Robert Hastings
Maryland Defense Force Public Affairs

BALTIMORE (May 28, 2009) – A legal officer with the Maryland Defense Force (MDDF) has been recognized by the Maryland State Bar Association with the Brigadier General Philip Sherman Award, recognizing superior service by a civilian lawyer to uniformed service members. J. Michael Lawlor, a Lt. Col. in the MDDF is the inaugural recipient of the award which was presented in a ceremony at the Towson Armory Tuesday.

An MDDF volunteer since November, 2003, Lawlor is the deputy director of the MDDF Legal Directorate and head of its family law department. Lawlor was recognized for providing more than 200 pro bono hours of direct support to national guardsmen and their families, saving them thousands of dollars in legal fees. The MDDF Legal Directorate provides a broad range of pro bono legal support to members of the Maryland National Guard in times of pressing need.

“Mike Lawlor knows what to do, knows how to do it, and gets it done quickly, enabling guardsmen to focus on their duties free of concern about their families and their future” said MDDF Col. Michael Osborn, director of the legal directorate. “Mike is a role model and inspiration to us all.”

A native of Baltimore, Lawlor has 36 years experience as a solo practitioner. He is a graduate the Loyola College and the University of Baltimore School of Law, and a Vietnam veteran who has received numerous citations including the Bronze Star Medal, National Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with 3 battle stars, Vietnam Campaign Medal and Republic of Vietnam Cross Unit Citation.

Headquartered at the Pikesville Military Reservation in Baltimore, the Maryland Defense Force is a volunteer uniformed state military agency organized under the Maryland Military Department. Formally established by the Maryland legislature in 1917, the unit's heritage and traditions trace back to the 17th century.

MDDF is one of a number of State Defense Forces authorized by the U.S. Congress under Title 32 and the respective state legislatures. While specific missions vary from state to state, State Defense Forces exist primarily to augment the capabilities of the National Guard. Employing volunteers who bring military experience and/or civilian professional skills, they supplement the capabilities of the National Guard, assist in National Guard mobilization for federal service, replace National Guard assets deployed out-of-state, and support state homeland security missions. State Defense Forces operate under the command of the Governor, as state Commander-in-Chief, and fall under the operational control of the state Adjutant General. State Defense Forces receive no federal funds and are supported entirely by the state.

For further information about the Maryland Defense Force, visit www.mddefenseforce.org.

Troop A Featured in North County News

Monkton, MD
11FEB 2009

Cavalry Troop A of the Maryland Defense Force was recently featured in the North County News.

To read the full article: Click Here

For more information please contact: recruiter@mdf.us

2007 Year of Accomplishment

Maryland Defense Force Announces Record Year of Accomplishments in 2007
Contact:
Lt. Col. (MD) Robert Hastings
Maryland Defense Force

BALTIMORE (January 30, 2008) – The Maryland Defense Force (MDDF) closed out 2007 with a record year of accomplishments, providing more than 24,000 man hours of volunteer military service in support of the Maryland National Guard (MDNG) and state agencies.

"The achievements of the Maryland Defense Force this year reflect the dedication and professionalism of its volunteers who are committed to the safety and security of the citizens of Maryland through our support of the Maryland National Guard," said Brig. Gen. Courtney Wilson, MDDF Commanding General. "I’m proud of each member of this command, and extend my appreciation to them and to their families and employers who continue to support them throughout the year."

The MDDF began the year by supporting the inauguration of Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley in Annapolis, providing escorts for VIPs, manning first aid stations and providing communications and crowd management.

Throughout March and April, MDDF engineers surveyed 23 MDNG facilities and armories across the state. The engineers contributed approximately 450 man hours of effort and drove hundreds of miles across the state to assess facilities from the Baker Training Area in the mountains of Western Maryland to the Salisbury Armory on the Eastern Shore.

In July, MDDF medical professionals deployed with the Maryland Air National Guard’s (MDANG) 175th Medical Group on a medical humanitarian mission to the Indian Health Service hospital on the Rosebud Lakota Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. The combined MDANG-MDDF team treated more than 4,000 patients while providing personnel in both units the opportunity to practice interoperability and to exercise their professional skills in a challenging remote environment similar to what might be encountered during a civil emergency.

In what represented the first ever participation by the MDDF in a homeland security role, MDDF personnel joined the MDNG for Exercise Vigilant Guard, a major homeland security/terrorist response exercise held in early September. MDDF personnel from the medical, legal, chaplain, operations, communications, and public affairs mission oriented units supported both the Command Post Exercise and the field training events.

Additional Achievements:
Cavalry Troop A, the MDDF mounted ceremonial unit, represented the Maryland Military Department at a number of highly visible public events and parades across the state, while continuing to train to it’s secondary mission of providing mounted urban search & rescue. In June, Troop A qualified 11 riders to the 1926 U.S. Army saber qualification course as an exercise to instill rider confidence and esprit.
MDDF medical personnel continued to support the Post Deployment Health Reassessment Program (PDHRA) by screening more than 900 MDNG airmen and soldiers redeploying from overseas operations this past year. More than 30 MDDF medical and mental health personnel have been trained to perform these in-depth evaluations so that MDNG soldiers can obtain further medical treatment and support as required.
Chaplains from the MDDF have been fully integrated into the MDNG Chaplain’s Corps and have provided a broad range of support throughout the year including spiritual counseling during unit training, deployment and redeployment activities, counseling for families of deployed Guardsmen, and post deployment stress counseling. MDDF chaplains are assigned and have primary spiritual responsibility for supporting the MDNG’s 70th Training Regiment at Camp Fretterd Military Reservation.
MDDF joined the MDNG and the Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) in an ongoing initiative to increase efficiency in the utilization of Maryland’s aviation assets and the control of airspace in the event of emergencies that involve extraordinary flight activity, such as a total closure of airspace like that which occurred following 9/11 to lesser contingencies and activities involving aviation assets.
MDDF volunteers screened potential candidates and assisted with induction activities for the Freestate ChalleNGe Academy, a MDNG sponsored program which provides at-risk youth an opportunity to reclaim their lives by developing values, skills, education and self-discipline necessary to succeed as adults.
MDDF financial and legal assistance teams continued to provide extensive pro-bono financial and legal counseling and assistance to members of the MDNG, providing support in particular to those deploying and their families.
In November, the MDDF celebrated the opening of a new headquarters in the historic Merson Building at the Pikesville Military Reservation. MDDF personnel contributed more than 1,600 volunteer man-hours to the self-service renovation project which restored the building to a high state of serviceability and functionality.
The Maryland Defense Force is one of a number of State Defense Forces authorized by the U.S. Congress under Title 32 and the respective state legislatures. While specific missions vary from state to state, State Defense Forces exist primarily to augment the capabilities of the National Guard. Employing volunteers who bring military experience and/or civilian professional skills, they supplement the capabilities of the National Guard, assist in National Guard mobilization for federal service, replace National Guard assets deployed out-of-state, and support state homeland security missions. State Defense Forces operate under the command of the Governor, as state Commander-in-Chief, and fall under the operational control of the state Adjutant General’s office. State Defense Forces receive no federal funds and are supported entirely by the state.

Headquartered at the Pikesville Military Reservation in Baltimore, the Maryland Defense Force is a volunteer uniformed state military agency organized under the Maryland Military Department. Formally established by the Maryland legislature in 1917, the unit's heritage and traditions trace back to the 17th century. Its mission is to provide competent supplemental professional and technical support to the Maryland Military Department and the Maryland National Guard.

For further information about the Maryland Defense Force, visit www.mddefenseforce.org.

Winter Survival Training

Maryland Defense Force Engineers Conduct Land Navigation, Winter Survival Training
Contact:
Lt. Col. Robert Hastings
Maryland Defense Force

HANOVER, Md. (November 18, 2007) -- In the foothills of Maryland’s Allegheny Mountains, Cpl. Hastings used a lensatic compass to shoot an azimuth to the next checkpoint. “We’re going in this direction,” she said as she lead her team 350 meters across challenging wooded terrain to find the next checkpoint plotted on her map.

It was a scene repeated by a number of Maryland Defense Force engineers and public affairs personnel who participated in land navigation training at the Baker Training Facility, a Maryland National Guard training area near Hanover, Md., November 17 and 18.

“Land navigation is a basic soldier skill that each and every member of the Maryland Defense Force must be familiar with,” said Col. Brian Kelm, Commander of the MDDF Engineer Corps and exercise officer-in-charge. “Understanding these skills is even more important for the Engineer in order to be prepared for disaster recovery and assessment which is an Engineer mission area.”

The participants learned that land navigation is much more than just map reading.

The instruction covered the full range of land navigation topics including:
the Military Grid Reference System (MGRF);
map marginal information and conventional map symbols;
identifying positions on a map using grid coordinates;
measuring distance and direction;
topography and terrain relief;
determining magnetic bearing with a compass;
orientating a map using a compass;
identifying a position on a map by terrain interpretation;
determining magnetic azimuths; and
familiarization with Global Positioning System (GPS).
The training culminated in a land navigation exercise where teams successfully negotiated a course across the rough terrain of the Allegheny Mountains.

Col. Kelm also gave instruction on the five-paragraph operations order, often called OPROD or SMEAC, referring to the five standard paragraphs: Situation, Mission, Execution, Administration & Logistics, and Command & Control.

According to Col. Kelm, both subjects are critical to the Engineer Corps’ disaster recovery assessment mission. “When performing a disaster assessment in support of the Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), many of the local manmade landmarks that we currently depend upon may not be standing. The ability to use map and compass as well as GPS is a vital skill needed to be mastered to overcome this.”

Col. Kelm added. “Any member of the Defense Force can find themselves in a mission where they may need to use a map and compass.”

The Maryland Defense Force is one of a number of State Defense Forces authorized by the U.S. Congress under Title 32 and the respective state legislatures. While specific missions vary from state to state, State Defense Forces exist primarily to augment the capabilities of the National Guard. Employing volunteers who bring military experience and/or civilian professional skills, they supplement the capabilities of the National Guard, assist in National Guard mobilization for federal service, replace National Guard assets deployed out-of-state, and support state homeland security missions. State Defense Forces operate under the command of the Governor, as state Commander-in-Chief, and fall under the operational control of the state Adjutant General’s office. State Defense Forces receive no federal funds and are supported entirely by the state.

Headquartered at the Pikesville Military Reservation in Baltimore, the Maryland Defense Force is a volunteer uniformed state military agency organized under the Maryland Military Department. Formally established by the Maryland legislature in 1917, the unit's heritage and traditions trace back to the 17th century. Its mission is to provide competent supplemental professional and technical support to the Maryland Military Department and the Maryland National Guard.

For further information about the Maryland Defense Force, visit www.mddefenseforce.org.

Marking 90 Years of Service

The Maryland Defense Force Marks 90 Years of Service with Opening of New HeadquartersContact:
Lt. Col. Robert Hastings
Maryland Defense Force

BALTIMORE (November 8, 2007) -- The Maryland Defense Force (MDDF) marked more than 90 years of service with a ribbon-cutting for its new headquarters at the Pikesville Military Reservation in Baltimore, Maryland. The ceremony held November 8 was attended by a number of Maryland National Guard (MDNG) and state officials, and current and retired Maryland Defense Force personnel.

“The Maryland National Guard, both Army and Air, couldn’t do the job it does without the Maryland Defense Force,” said Maj. Gen. Bruce Tuxill, Adjutant General for the State of Maryland. “The MDDF is a real force multiplier and we thank you for the job you do.”

The new headquarters is located in the Merson Building, and the ceremony marked the culmination of a three-month long renovation involving more than 1,600 volunteer man-hours by members of the MDDF.

“The renovation of this building was a huge project, which was executed with efficiency and professionalism that have become the hallmark of the MDDF,” said Brig. Gen. Courtney Wilson, MDDF Commanding General. “I’m tremendously proud of the engineer corps, the volunteers, and in particular the Non-Commissioned Officers who led the project.”

The move to the new headquarters comes as the MDDF marks the 90th anniversary of its formal activation as an element of the Maryland militia separate from the National Guard in August 1917. It was responsible for maintaining public order in the absence of the Maryland National Guard which had been mobilized for service in France during World War I. The Maryland State Guard, as it was known at the time, was called to state duty twice to suppress civil disturbances in Annapolis and Easton during 1919. It was disbanded in March 1920 following the end of the war.

With the outbreak of war in Europe and the Far East, the Maryland State Guard was reactivated in February 1941. By 1942, the force had grown to a brigade of nine infantry battalions and medical, engineer and special military police battalions. Some 2,700 men served in the State Guard at the height of its WWII strength. When the Maryland National Guard returned from Europe, State Guard units were again deactivated.

In the decades following World War II, the United States Army became increasingly dependent upon the National Guard to supply essential combat ready units, creating a heightened interest in state defense forces across the nation. The Maryland State Guard was reactivated under legislation which took effect on July 1, 1983.

The Maryland Code subsequently was amended to open the ranks of the State Guard to women, and in September, 1988, the Maryland State Guard was redesignated the Maryland Defense Force to differentiate the force from the National Guard.

Following the events of 9/11, the cold-war era MDDF was reorganized into a mission-oriented command which supports the Maryland Military Department by providing personnel with competent professional and technical skills that augment the MDNG in its state mission and support its mobilization to and redeployment from federal missions. Additionally, the MDDF prepares for and responds to homeland security and civil emergencies by maintaining trained and ready personnel that can supplement the state’s emergency management and first-responder resources. And it strengthens Maryland’s communities through community service programs such as the Freestate Challenge.

Commenting on the history of the Maryland Defense Force, Maj. Gen. Tuxill said “we’ve evolved and we’ve reorganized many times since 1917 and we will continue to do so because we will meet the needs of the citizens of Maryland.”

The Maryland Defense Force is one of a number of State Defense Forces authorized by the U.S. Congress under Title 32 and the respective state legislatures. While specific missions vary from state to state, State Defense Forces exist primarily to augment the capabilities of the National Guard. Employing volunteers who bring military experience and/or civilian professional skills, they supplement the capabilities of the National Guard, assist in National Guard mobilization for federal service, replace National Guard assets deployed out-of-state, and support state homeland security missions. State Defense Forces operate under the command of the Governor, as state Commander-in-Chief, and fall under the operational control of the state Adjutant General’s office. State Defense Forces receive no federal funds and are supported entirely by the state.

Headquartered at the Pikesville Military Reservation in Baltimore, the Maryland Defense Force is a volunteer uniformed state military agency organized under the Maryland Military Department. Formally established by the Maryland legislature in 1917, the unit's heritage and traditions trace back to the 17th century. Its mission is to provide competent supplemental professional and technical support to the Maryland Military Department and the Maryland National Guard.

For further information about the Maryland Defense Force, visit www.mddefenseforce.org.