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Former Army Captain and Special
Agent Thomas E. Brannon, Naval Criminal Investigative Service (ret.) “spent twenty-eight years with the Naval Criminal
Investigative Service, NCIS, with overseas assignments for sixteen years in Vietnam, Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, Italy and
England. He served as a Special Agent with a specialty of Polygraph Examiner for twenty-five of those years,
during which time he earned a legendary reputation. His career in law enforcement has
spanned more than forty-five years, and he is currently employed as a Senior Investigator with the Medical Unit of a State
Governmental Agency. Tom served in the U.S. Navy attaining the rank of Chief Petty Officer and was later
commissioned as a Military Intelligence (MI) Officer with the U.S. Army. His awards include medals from
the Japanese Government, the Government of Taiwan, Republic of China, The Vietnam Service Medal, and numerous U.S. Military
awards and certificates for outstanding assistance in the resolution of sensitive high level matters. Tom
has also received many awards and certificates from State and County agencies for the resolution of criminal matters. Tom
is a graduate of St. Mary's College in Moraga, California.” Special Agent Thomas E. Brannon is
the author of The Relentless Pursuit of the Truth: A Tribute to Jacqueline Jane Wurst, Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class,
United States Navy.
Thomas E. Brannon’s new book,
Spies, Lies, And Resolutions has just
been released for publication. In
this, his second book, he has compiled
a collection of short stories
involving major cases he worked during
his career in law enforcement. They
start when he was a young policeman,
then as a special agent with NCIS, and
end with a major case for the State of
California, his last employer, before
retiring for the final time.
Throughout each of these cases you can
see his perseverance and his drive to
solve whatever type of case he was
assigned, be it rape, robbery, murder,
theft or a spy case. He was
relentless.
As a special agent with a
collateral duty of polygraph examiner,
Tom was one called when needed to
verify the truthfulness of a subject’s
statement, or to administer an
exculpatory polygraph to determine, if
any, a subject’s involvement regarding
an investigation. In the cases you
will read here you can clearly see
Tom’s dedication to each case. Each
one a true investigation, with only
names changed to protect the innocent,
the guilty, and the assisting special
agents.
In Thomas Brannon’s first book,
"The Relentless Pursuit of the Truth,
we learned of a man who could not let
a cold case die in the wind. Someone
who constantly pursued a suspect, and
eventually did develop and help
convict the murderer of Jackie Wurst.
Now, you can read these cases,
which will at times make you wonder
how people can do what they do. There
is the case of the first defector of
the Vietnam War; a young Marine who
gave secrets to the Soviets in
exchange for sex; a sailor who had
intentions of sinking a nuclear
submarine; F-14 aircraft sabotage; a
terrorist group in Greece; a sailor’s
drowning which turned out to be a
hoax. Just to name a few.
But, as you read, remember the
dedication and the perseverance of
Thomas Brannon.
His mission -- to find the
truth."
One reader of The Relentless
Pursuit of the Truth: A Tribute to Jacqueline Jane Wurst, Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class, United States Navy said,
“I have known Tommy Brannon since 1964 when we were both NIS special agents and I was sent to DaNang RVN to assist in
the overwhelming case load building up there where Tommy was trying to keep his head above water. His reputation as an outstanding
interrogator and polygraph operator were well-known even back then. After that first meeting and working closely with him
on several cases over the years this reputation only continued to grow.
But this book was surprising to me.
I was ready for an in-depth account of a complicated murder investigation which eventually would result in the apprehension
and conviction of the murderer, the type of book we see filling the non-fiction sections in bookstores today. But reading
this book was a very pleasant surprise. Certainly, the murder case was solved and the suspect arrested and convicted, due
to the diligence of Tommy Brannon; however, this is only the skeleton for the real purpose of the book: the celebration of
the life of a remarkable young woman who had great promise. We seldom are privileged to come in contact with a person devoid
of character flaws, but Jacqueline Wurst was definitely one of those rare individuals and the loss of her life was therefore
even more tragic. If you can read this book without your eyes watering, you are a remarkable person. Reading it will make
you sad that this fine young woman and U.S. Navy sailor never had the chance to become all that she could be (apologies to
the U.S. Army) but conversely it will make you happy that you had the chance to meet her through Tommy Brannon's efforts.
This is a very good book and a welcome departure from other non-fiction crime stories. Read and enjoy. Thanks, Tommy.”
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According to the book description of
The Relentless Pursuit of the Truth: A Tribute to Jacqueline Jane Wurst, Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class, United States
Navy, “On October 5, 1980, young Jacqueline Jane Wurst, Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class, United States Navy,
was murdered near the Lemoore Naval Air Station in California. Her body was discovered the next day after having been brutally
murdered, sexually assaulted and thrown into the water at the Kings River. The investigation went dormant
for over two years, but two years later, NCIS Special Agent Thomas E. Brannon stumbled across a lead and revived the case.
This is a true story of the tragic death of a beautiful, young, caring woman who was victimized on two separate occasions,
the last costing her life. The story touches on how HM2 Wurst's life and murder affected her family,
her U.S. Navy family and law enforcement investigators, but it is not only a story about Wurst's tragic death, but also
her inspirational life.”
About the Naval Criminal
Investigative Service In a dangerous and complex
world, threats against America and its military forces continue to proliferate and evolve. Standing between
these threats and the people, families, and assets of the Navy and Marine Corps is a unique, highly-trained, and effective
team of special agents, investigators, forensic experts, security specialists, analysts, and support personnel: NCIS, the
Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
NCIS is the primary law enforcement and counterintelligence arm of the United
States Department of the Navy. It works closely with other local, state, federal, and foreign agencies to counter and investigate
the most serious crimes: terrorism, espionage, computer intrusion, homicide, rape, child abuse, arson, procurement fraud,
and more.
NCIS is the Navy's primary source
of security for the men, women, ships, planes, and resources of America's seagoing expeditionary forces worldwide. NCIS'
three strategic priorities are to: Prevent Terrorism; Protect Secrets; and, Reduce Crime.
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