Photo By Pfc. Makayla Panzer | (From left) Alison Bowen, a canine handler with New England K9 Search and Rescue...... read more read more
CONCORD, N.H. - Despite adverse weather conditions from an early spring snowstorm, soldiers from Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 238th Aviation Regiment (MEDEVAC), partnered with New England K-9 Search and Rescue (NEK9) for a joint training exercise on April 12, 2025, at the Army Aviation Support Facility in Concord and the Edward Cross Training Complex in Pembroke, New Hampshire.
“The New Hampshire National Guard has been instrumental in search and rescue operations,” said Daniel Lampignano, president of NEK9. “We have a very challenging environment, and our ability to collaborate has only augmented our capacity to bring missing people home.”
Initially scheduled for Bear Brook State Park, the training event was quickly restructured due to hazardous travel conditions. The shift in location didn’t deter the New Hampshire Army National Guard soldiers or their civilian counterparts from continuing with critical survival and rescue training.
“The biggest setback of today was being unable to get to the training area that we had prepared, and having to improvise a plan,” said Staff Sgt. Paul Knight, a combat medic with MEDEVAC. “But it’s essential that we still train, because when we deploy soldiers, they need to be prepared to execute these skills in any environment.”
The day-long training included NEK9's air-scent and tracking demonstrations, instruction on footprint analysis and tactical movement, and lessons in constructing shelters for evasion or survival situations, emphasizing operational readiness and strengthening the unit’s coordination with emergency response teams.
The 238th Aviation Regiment’s MEDEVAC mission extends beyond battlefield medicine. It includes domestic operations such as search and rescue during natural disasters, missing person incidents, and large-scale emergencies. The unit regularly supports real-world rescue missions across New Hampshire, coordinating with civilian partners like New Hampshire Fish and Game, providing life-saving medical evacuation, hoist capability, and aerial support in remote terrain. Community partnerships like the one with NEK9 are essential to that mission.
During his classroom lesson, Lampignano highlighted the value of trained dogs in recovery missions, noting that a well-trained K-9’s sense of smell is up to 100,000 times stronger than a human’s. A team of seven dogs can clear roughly 2,000 acres in less than 12 hours, a speed that can mean the difference between life and death.
“The dogs we have are stubborn,” said Lampignano. “They are persistent. That is why they’re good at this work.”
While the dogs took the lead in scent-based tracking, the soldiers practiced alternative techniques, such as analyzing footprints. They also practiced estimating pace and direction and learning to distinguish multiple tracks in complex terrain.
To close out the training, soldiers constructed shelters using field craft principles and tactical evasion techniques by building shelters that would be difficult to detect. They accomplished this by electing concealed and elevated locations, avoiding flood-prone areas, and building with tarps, logs, rope and foliage to provide security.
“We all should have a background in basic survival, no matter what our specialty is,” said Spc. Alexandra Villers, a combat medic with the unit. “At the end of the day, we’re all soldiers. I think it’s very important to maintain that skill throughout your career and to complete our mission.”
As part of their continuous collaboration, the NHARNG and NEK9 maintain their mission to stay informed, efficient and ready to provide aid in any condition.
| Date Taken: | 04.12.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.14.2025 16:44 |
| Story ID: | 495208 |
| Location: | CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE, US |
| Web Views: | 77 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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