A Maryland Army National Guard training exercise apparentl went awry last night as seven Special Forces paratroopers missed the drop site -- with one left in a tree and one hitting the water at the Lauderick Creek weekend training site, near the Edgewood Area of the Aberdeen Proving Ground, a spokesman said.

Lt. Col. Howard O. Freedlander, the Guard spokesman, said that an evening parachute training exercise "encountered a problem. . . . All of our people are OK."

The seven paratroopers jumped from a Chinook helicopter during a routine training mission, Colonel Freedlander said. "The seven did not hit the drop zone and hit various locations" and were missing briefly.

Fire rescue units and a state police helicopter helped in the search operations.