DRAPER — A thundering rotor wash swept across the training grounds as a military helicopter touched down, soldiers rushing forward with a stretcher carrying one of their own. It was only a drill — but one designed to feel uncomfortably real.
The Utah National Guard on Thursday launched Exercise Wolverine, a large‑scale, multi‑agency disaster‑response training event built around a scenario many officials say no longer feels theoretical: a compromised U.S. homeland.
“We’re moving patients down to our medical element,” one soldier called out as teams practiced rapid evacuation procedures.
Nearby, another group of service members worked through a very different crisis. The sound of saws echoed through a rubble pile as teams cut through concrete to reach simulated victims of a terrorist‑set explosive…