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Burl
Branham, Shotgun Coach Retires
by
Paula
J. Randall
U.
S. Army Marksmanship Unit Public Affairs Office
 FORT
BENNING, Ga. –
He'll be 70 years old Jan. 24, but you'd never know it. He came to
work everyday with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye, and
gave soldiers less than half his age a run for their money. Don't let
the white hair and weathered brow fool you. The man still has a
spring in his step and knows how to get things done. Burl Branham,
coach of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit's Shotgun Team, retired
October 2000, after 52 years of federal service.
Retrospectively
cleaning out his desk, he sifted through decades of photographs,
paperwork and memories. Master Sgt. Rodney G. Pinkston, the
noncommissioned officer in charge of the Shotgun Team, helped Branham
sort through years of awards, gifts and memorabilia and pack away the
last 22 years of his life into cardboard boxes. "You just can't
say enough about Coach Branham," Pinkston said. "He's never
missed a day of work. I know during quail-hunting season he walks 8
to 10 miles a day; for a 70-year-old, that's pretty remarkable."
At
his retirement ceremony, the afternoon of Oct. 26, the
self-proclaimed "unemotional kind of guy," bade farewell to
his shooters with his no-nonsense advice on what is to be expected of
them in the future. Forcing back the tears, the shooters, who see
Branham as not just a coach and mentor, but as a father, hugged him
and wished him well. "I've been a disciplinarian, an organizer
and a teacher to the soldiers; I'm a father to them and a grandfather
to their kids," Branham said. "The Shotgun Team is my
extended family; most of the soldiers are like my own children and I
treat them that way. I took care of their kids when they had to shoot
overseas. I love them all."
"He
doesn't get emotional, but he goes out of his way to teach kids; he
likes to pass on his wisdom to them," Pinkston said.
"Children are very important to him. The things that touch him
the most are the kids; they're more important to him than
anything." After serving nearly 28 years on active duty,
including two combat tours in Korea and one in Vietnam as a sniper,
Branham retired in 1977 as a master sergeant with the Silver Star for
valor, the Bronze Star Medal for gallantry and three Purple Hearts.
But don't call him a hero. "Basically, I just did my job,"
Branham said. "All the heroes are dead and buried. They paid the
ultimate price for their country. You can't replace those guys. I
consider them heroes."
His
association with the USAMU started in 1958 as a service rifle
pick-up shooter. His last seven years as a soldier were spent at the
Army Marksmanship Unit as a shooter and coach. In 1978, he came back
to the USAMU as a civilian to coach the Shotgun Team. In the past 22
years, he has coached 19 Olympians -- four of them Olympic
medallists, including Sgt. 1st Class James "Todd" Graves,
the Skeet Bronze Medallist in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.
"I
don't want to take credit for what my shooters have done,"
Branham said modestly. "As a coach you have to know your people;
reading people is your best asset. Know what they are capable of
doing. I was very confident about Todd getting a medal; he did a
tremendous job."
"In
my eyes, he's one of the best coaches in the world and a father to
all of us," Graves said. "He helped me get to where I am
today. He pointed me in the right direction, coached me and was there
for me, no matter what."
Having
coached more than 30 national champions, Branham knows what it takes
to excel in the shooting sports. "I don't believe anyone has
ever been born a champion," Branham explained. "The road to
becoming a champion is paved with intelligence, patience and
dedication. The shooter must master both the physical and mental
aspects of the game during training to succeed in competition. You
win an Olympic Medal during your training before you get to the Olympics."
In
the half century of his federal service, Branham has been around the
world and back, many times over, but he still plans to travel in his
retirement. "I don't need to go anywhere else in the world. Been
there, done that," Branham said. "I've been to Europe, the
Far East, and South America –
just about everywhere. Now that I'm retired, I'll go where I want to
go –
to Kentucky to visit my 90-year-old mother." The Paintsville,
Ky., native, plans to stay in the Columbus area with his wife,
Yvonne, after his retirement. "I'll miss all of it, especially
the people, but I'll come back to visit," Branham said. "I
don't intend to just sit down. I'll do some quail hunting and
consulting to gun clubs.
"The
Army Marksmanship Unit is the best place in the Army to work; I'll
remember it fondly," Burl said. "I hope they'll remember me
as a good coach and for being helpful to people." But before he
left his office for the last time, Branham gave his soldiers this
advice: "As you are now, I once was. As I am now, you one day
will be. Do not waste the time in between. Use it effectively."
Press release and photo provided by U.S. Army
Marksmanship Unit Public Affairs Office (706) 545-5436.
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