"The plot thickens"!!!!
First, I added the use of the Command() function to the VBA code sheet of a simple one-form utility app I wrote and compiled it..........no problem with there with the use of the Command() function.
Now, the bizarre part:
I decided to pursue the thought that I might simply have a corrupted mdb. With that, I first reset the debugger error message and halted the apps invocation Autoexec macro so I could turn on "Show db window on start-up". Then, I renamed the offending mdb file and restored a copy of the app's mdb file from an Acronis Backup/Restore archive from 1/10/14, (a backup copy of the app's mdb file from my old computer). That mdb ALSO entered Access Debug pointing to the Command() function as the offending VBA statement.
With the Acronis restored mdb also failing, I simply deleted it and renamed the original mdb back to its nominal naming. Much to my amazement, when I then opened the originally offending mdb file from Windows Explorer, the app opened normally without error. ALSO, when I then navigated Windows Explorer to a copy of the app on a second hard-drive that is linked to a different back-end db, it too opened normally whereas before it was also failing in Debug indicating problems with the Command() function.
Obviously, there's something astray here, but I'm in mystery as to what it might be. The common denominator with the scenario described above would seem to be Access 2003 itself. But, since I experienced failures on both my computer and my wife's suggests otherwise.
I'm going to mark this issue resolved for lack of anything further to add.
Thanks to all for your thoughts,
Bill