NH mountain rescue drill turns real after National Guardsmen suffer hypothermia

By Jessie Salisbury
The Nashua Telegraph

LYNDEBOROUGH, N.H. — It was supposed to be a joint training exercise on finding lost hikers on Winn Mountain with local emergency services and the Milford National Guard unit.

But the drill quickly turned into the real thing when the fire department got word that National Guardsmen suffered hypothermia on the mountain overnight.

"We wanted to try our new off-road skills and new vehicles and simulate a rescue on Winn Mountain," Fire Chief Rick McQuade said Monday. "We had gotten together for breakfast, then we got a call that a couple of National Guardsmen had gotten exposure over night. They were doing some cold weather training exercises."

Full story: Victims stayed within tree line for protection