Football programs utilizing the summer months to train with a branch of the American military is a story line as old as the game itself.
The time spent training with the armed forces builds camaraderie, teamwork, and mental and physical toughness and gives players a taste of what it's like to serve. It also serves an important purpose of breaking up the monotony in the weight room for 18-22 year old kids.
At Missouri, Gary Pinkel and his staff reached out to the Missouri National Guard to partner with for a few days of unconventional training. That training included a handful of team building exercises, some military training exercises, some paintball with the coaches, a surprise 5:30am wake up call followed by a grueling workout, and many players' first taste of military MREs.
Good to see Pinkel and the staff mix in a healthy dose of fun with the workload.