Even though Branham cut his teeth on what we call “the good old days”, he realizes the necessity for change. He praises Major Madden, the new Major over Special Operations, for being accessible, supportive and receptive to their ideas as well as talking with them about changes. “Major Madden has brought some new ideas to the table, and they are good ideas. It’s a new day and new ideas are being discussed.” Branham is a volunteer for the Rescue Team in York County. One of his duties is scuba diving which includes recovering drowning victims and boats that have sunk. In 2005, Branham was called to assist with a search. Rescue workers had been searching for a two-year-old for 22 hours. An Amber Alert was issued for a possible kidnapping and divers had searched the lake. The family had moved to South Carolina only two days earlier and had enjoyed a cookout at the grandparents’ waterfront home on Lake Wylie. As the festivities ended, the little girl was taken in the house, bathed and dressed. When the family discovered her missing, a massive search took place. When Branham arrived, the lake was murky and it was impossible to see in the cloudy water. He had been in the water for about two hours swimming in a grid system with other divers when he felt something he knew shouldn’t be there. Not far from the grandparents’ dock, tangled up in about 8 feet of water, he realized what it must be, even though he could not see what he was holding. The discovery was heartbreaking for the big guy, a father of two. An article was written in the local newspaper after the child’s mother, Jeanette Casey, insisted
16 South Carolina Trooper
on talking to the big burly trooper who found her daughter and kept the family from wondering day after day what happened to their child. The meeting was bittersweet with tears from everyone. Branham states, “The incident was beyond words for me. I wanted to make it better but there was nothing I could do or say.” The humble trooper refused to take credit alone and informed Ms. Casey that credit should go to the entire team. Branham and his wife Shannon were married in 2003 after an accidental meeting at a Super Bowl party. Shannon is an investigator with the State Law Enforcement Division. The happy couple live in Union and are thoroughly enjoying their life together. “She is very good to me, and extremely supportive. She bought me a tractor for Christmas, a blue and white one, with a front end loader. I love riding it,” says Branham. We can only imagine how many times he sings the Kenny Chesney song, “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy,” while plowing up the land and thinking no one can hear him. Branham is the father of two children he adores. John Keith, his son, is the father of a special 14 month old, Eli, Branham’s only grandchild. His daughter, Stacy, is 24 and about to bring double the pleasure to the family as she is expecting her first child. Branham loves steak, action movies and most any kind of music, although he is a classic rock fan. He also enjoys anything mechanical and guns. The Branhams attend Phillipi Baptist Church. And by the way, for those of you who don’t believe in dreams, yep he got that Mustang. The tag number even had his name on it K-E-N. He washed it every day. ▲▲▲