James B. Branch

On completion of the basic course, Branch submitted his preferences for an MOS, or “Military Occupation Specialty,” and got his top choice, Armor, which was not a particularly popular area with Marines. In October of 1983, he was sent to the Army’s Armor Officer Branch School at Fort Knox, Kentucky, where he spent about five months learning about the mechanics and tactical use of tanks and other military armored vehicles.

Branch noted that he had spent almost a year in training before he arrived at Camp Pendleton, California, where he first met the tank platoon he would command. As a platoon leader, he was the first line of supervision and leadership in a larger unit like a company or battalion. Second lieutenant Branch often looked for guidance from his platoon’s sergeants, because he felt that, although he had “the knowledge and responsibility, they have the wisdom.” He enjoyed his time at Camp Pendleton because of the great platoon sergeants mentoring him, as well as the perfect weather just north of San Diego.

During his initial months at Camp Pendleton, Branch’s primary task was preparing his platoon for war.  He was then promoted to first lieutenant and appointed executive officer (second in command) of a company in the armored vehicle battalion, a position he retained for the remaining time of his enlistment. After completing his mandated three years of active duty with the Marines, Branch was offered a position in Transportation and Supply should he choose to remain on active duty. He was, however, not interested, and left the USMC in early 1987 for the Reserves, where he was essentially a “freelance lieutenant.” One example of his reserve duty was that he was flown to Korea for a few weeks to evaluate a training exercise.

Branch was interested in returning to active duty during the Gulf War. No positions were available for him in Kuwait or Saudi Arabia, but he was offered a slot in Quantico as a unit executive officer and accepted it. Branch described it as an “administrative job” where everything he was trained for did not apply.

Branch left active duty again and went to medical school at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He had taken the MCAT test and was accepted by the New Jersey MED Program, which provided him with a Health Professional Scholarship. When Branch joined the military again, he was offered a four-year opportunity with the Army’s Medical Corps and accepted the offer; although, it required a formal inter-service transfer in which he lost his rank of captain in the Marine Corps to become a second lieutenant in the Army.

In the autumn of 2000, Branch reported to Fort Bragg, North Carolina to join the 229th Aviation Regiment, an Apache helicopter attack unit. The 229^th was scheduled to go to Bosnia in 2001, so he arrived in the middle of their training. Following the inauguration of President George W. Bush, plans changed, as it appeared that things were calming down in Bosnia. Although Branch’s battalion was no longer going to go to Bosnia, he himself went, because he was the assigned flight surgeon of “Stabilization Force 9.” He was quite happy about this, because he was finally going abroad and putting his skills to the test.

Branch was stationed at Camp Comanche in Tuzla, Bosnia, from where team missions were launched to verify that weapon storage sites of former combatants were not stolen and were fully accounted for. The teams traveled to sites to inventory arms in OH-58 Delta observation helicopters, which were also used to maintain area surveillance.

As a flight surgeon at Camp Comanche, Branch’s job was routine. He held two sick calls every day; and, as the main doctor at the base, he was responsible for developing a plan for potential mass casualties. Branch mentioned that, since he spent most of the time inside the base, he was not overly aware of all the animosity near the Serbian border. He remembered that American soldiers would provide security for Muslims holding commemorations for those who died after massacres or from other human rights atrocities.

When Branch was out flying, his routine consisted of observing pilots and assessing their psychiatric stability, to make sure they were in good shape. He typically flew on UH-60 Black Hawks with a crew of four that could hold ten passengers. A mission typically involved transporting “VIP” personnel around and ensuring they were safe. While Branch was not able to see much of Bosnia on the ground, he remarked that pilots sometimes took a scenic route, where he was shocked by the deteriorating state of the country.