Maryland Guard helicopters and police K-9 units collaborate during MEDEVAC training

Published on April 15, 2026

EDGEWOOD, Md. — Maryland Army National Guard soldiers conducted medical evacuation training with two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters assigned to the 29th Combat Aviation Brigade, collaborating with local police K-9 units at Lauderick Creek Military Reservation, April 1, 2026.

The event involved a total of 30 participants, including Guard members from Company C, 1st Battalion, 169th Aviation Regiment, alongside officers from Cecil County Sheriff’s Office and Montgomery County Police, and a total of eight police dogs. The primary goal for this collaboration was to integrate civilian law enforcement K-9 units into a MEDEVAC exercise and enhance interagency operational effectiveness through shared learning scenarios.

“While I was deployed to Kosovo in 2021, there was a K-9 unit there, and I had been tasked with creating a K-9 medical bag. I remember feeling that the training I had up to that point was inadequate for what I would need if there was an actual emergency involving a K-9,” said Maryland Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Joanna Adams, flight medic non-commissioned officer assigned to Company C, 1-169th Aviation Regiment. “After I came back from deployment, I started looking into getting training for my unit with K-9s.”