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COLUMBIA, MO. -- The home of the Mizzou Football Tigers was transformed into a training ground for weapons of mass destruction.

The Missouri National Guard’s 7th Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team conducted a training exercise at the University of Missouri's Faurot Field.

Organizers of the exercise made up a scenario where smoke machines for a Faurot Field rock concert caused the stage crew to get violently sick during rehearsal. It was the job of the Missouri National Guard to find out what kind of contaminants were behind this type of weapon of mass destruction. 

Even though it was just a drill, Guard Members used real protective suits and state of the art detection equipment in and around the bleachers on the south end of the stadium.

“It’s pretty strenuous. We do everything from confined spaces to big open areas like this," National Guard Staff Sergeant Brian Harvey said. "It’s really hard with the suit and everything else. You don’t have much peripheral vision. It’s just another form of training for all scenarios that we work on.”

The exercise included a decontamination area where Guard Members pretended to remove any hazardous materials on their bodies and equipment. Missouri National Guardsmen have exercises two or three times a month. What made this exercise unique was the size of the stadium. Wearing a heavy suit while walking up and down the bleachers can take a toll on your body and your mind.

“It’s very hot and they are trying to think the exercise through and think what they have to do," Team Commander Lt. Col. Ray White said. "They are trying to identify.  They are trying to mitigate whatever it is that might be spreading.”

The Missouri National Guard’s 7th Civil Support Team is based in Jefferson City. Team members are standing by for any real emergencies dealing with weapons of mass destruction in Mid-Missouri.