As part of his military appreciation initiative, Rams linebacker Chris Draft wanted to reach out to the servicemen and servicewomen that have given so much to their country. To thank them for their service, Draft organized a special trip, along with new Rams offensive lineman Jason Brown, which also provided an educational experience for the Rams youngest members.

“The military appreciation initiative is always a joy to execute,” Draft said. “We were able to take the 2009 Rams Rookie Class along with Jason Brown over to Scott Air Force Base and say ‘thank you for all that you’re doing, and thank you families for being supportive and sticking with it.’”

Following the Rams organized team activities, Draft organized the entire 2009 Rams Rookie Class into several Cadillac Escalades, donated to the cause by St. Louis’ Plaza Motors. The players piled into the trucks and met a police escort on both sides of the Mississippi, taking them from Rams Park in St. Louis into Scott Air Force Base, Ill.

Upon arrival at the base, Draft and Co. were able to go on a guided tour of the facility, taking them to the control tower on the base. While checking out the control tower, the players were able to see a live demonstration of a new air-traffic controller simulation that will soon make its way into all the military bases around the United States.

The group then made their way over to one of the many hangars on Scott Air Force Base, where they were treated to an up-close look at an F-22. The F-22 is a fighter jet that uses stealth technology when maneuvering through the skies, enabling it to easily move into position to take out enemy targets.

After their tour of the base, Draft, Brown and the Rams rookies took to the field, where they conducted a football clinic for over  300 individuals, made up of the Scott Air Force Base Junior ROTC program, several servicemen and servicewomen from the base and many of their families.

“Military families have gone through a lot while their significant others are deployed, and we know that is a strain,” Draft said. “Hopefully, through our presence, we were able to take their mind off of it a little bit and build them up a little bit. We try to do that by taking the tour and shaking a lot of hands, and also being able to do a camp for over 300 individuals.”

Draft and the players covered just about every aspect of NFL training, as various position drills were set up on the field at Scott Air Force Base. Each of the players ran the group through the drills they perform on a daily basis while training for their careers in the NFL.

“We had drills for the running backs,” Draft said. “We had linebacker drills, defensive line drills, offensive line drills, defensive back, wide receivers, we had the quarterbacks throwing and we even had some special teams drills. It was just a chance for our guys to show their position off and run everybody through some drills and have a good time.”

As a special treat, Draft and Co. were able to spend some quality time together as they were treated to dinner at The Pasta House. A relaxed dinner gave the rookies, Draft and Brown a chance to get to know each other a little better and talk about the day.

“We had a chance to really get together, fellowship and talk about going to the base,” Draft said. “I had a chance to talk to the rookies about the importance of understanding who you are as an NFL player. I think visiting Scott Ai Force Base the last couple of years has provided an opportunity to show the rookies what a different world it is between college and pro. As a professional now, you are a man who represents your community. If you take that seriously, there are some amazing things that you can do.”