JAC Army ProDev Trip Retraces Battle of the Somme

  • Published
  • By Maj. Bret C. Kinman, U.S. Army Element Commander
  • JIOCEUR Analytic Center
ROYAL AIR FORCE MOLESWORTH, England --  Walking in the footsteps of the allied heroes of the World War I Battle of the Somme was a meaningful and sobering experience for 25 members of the JAC participating in the JAC Army Element Professional Development trip.

Led by JAC Army Element Commander Major Bret C. Kinman and First Sergeant Melissa A. O'Brien, the group retraced the Battle of the Somme, also known as the Somme Offensive, fought from July 1916 to November 1916.

It was among the largest and longest battles of the First World War. With more than 1.4 million casualties during the fifteen months of the struggle.  it is also one of the bloodiest military operations recorded. The Allied forces attempted to break through the German lines along a 12 mile front north and south of the River Somme in northern France. 

Walking the trenches on Vimy Ridge and viewing the exhibits at the Historial de la Grande Guerre museum gave JAC participants a deep respect for their U. S., British, French, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, and German predecessors of over ninety years ago.