Almost 150 Officer Candidate School Soldiers will run nearly 50 miles to Andersonville, Ga., in honor of past and present prisoners of war and missing in action comrades. The esprit de corps run will begin at 7 a.m. Saturday and end at the Andersonville National Prisoner of War Museum and Historic Park.

The idea came from Officer Candidate Will Milzarski, a 39-year-old attorney who currently has two sons serving in combat.

The attorney, who received a medical discharge from the military in the early 1990s, spent 10 years helping disabled veterans in Michigan. He said he returned to active duty to serve those who are currently serving.

"One thing I've always understood was the need to remember our warriors," Milzarski said. "I just had the idea that we should teach these young Soldiers there's more to being an officer than just pomp and circumstance. There's a price to pay, and we shouldn't forget that."

Andersonville was home to one of the largest military prisons established by the Confederacy during the Civil War, according to the National Park Service Web site. Camp Sumter Prison, commonly called Andersonville, housed more than 45,000 Union Soldiers. Of those, almost 13,000 died from disease, poor sanitation, malnutrition, overcrowding, and exposure to the elements.

"I personally think the students will learn so much from this," said CPT Joe Peppers, A Company commander, 3rd Battalion, 11th Infantry Regiment. "The idea is to recognize our comrades who (are missing). It's a lesson they will take with them, and an event we'll all share. And we actually got to put some (physical training) into it too."

Battalion Command Sergeant Major CSM Clyde Glenn recalled participating in a mission a few years ago to find Soldiers who were missing in Iraq, saying the motivation for the run registers with him.

A ceremonial race stare will begin at the battalion and end at the Follow Me Statue outside Building 35, Ridgway Hall. At the same time, another group of candidates will begin on Cusseta Road and follow the predetermined route to the museum. The run will feature buddy teams of candidates from A, C and D companies running three-mile stints. Milzarski said the total running distance will be 54 miles.

Glenn, who is scheduled to leave the battalion next week, and company first sergeants will carry the POW/MIA flag for the last two miles into Andersonville.