Veterans Voices: How time in the Marines translates to the TBI

ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. (WJHL) – Marine Corps veteran Brian Fraley knew from a young age that he wanted to wear the uniform and, most importantly, help others.

He joined the Marines before he even graduated high school during his junior year.

“I had good friends that were good friends of the family and looked up to them and saw what they did and just wanted to be a Marine. That was probably about the 7th or 8th grade,” Fraley said.

Fraley was an infantry rifleman working on tactical operations in places like South America and Honduras. He trained at Camp Lejune.

“That original contract was four years so my end of obligation was ’94 and then got out,” he said. “I stayed a little bit longer but got out after five and a half years.”

He worked on the Drug Task Force at the Elizabethton Police Department. Then 9/11 happened.

“It was a volatile time and being a Marine, you wanted to be a part of that and that’s what encouraged me to do so,” he said.

Fraley re-enlisted and went to Iraq in 2004 as part of Iraqi Freedom II.

“It was a bad time. Obviously, in any combat zone, you see a lot of bad things, the worst of humanity,” he said. “In a combat zone, you see a lot of bad things, but you take away from that and try to just not take anything for granted and know that every day that you have on this earth is a blessing.”

He says that time in the service was one of the most important experiences in his life, and it gave him a new outlook.

“[I remember] seeing how joyful those people were that they were able to vote and have a say in the new democracy that they had never known before, and they would show you their purple thumbs– being so proud to be a part of that,” he said.

Fraley came back and was hired by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) as a special agent.

“Most of what we investigate are pretty bad crimes, homicides, death investigations. We do white-collar crimes as well, but the ones that stick out the most that we’re called upon to help out with are the death investigations, which are normally homicides,” Fraley said.

He’s helped investigate some of the most high-profile cases in the region, including some that involve children.

“Through those experiences, it’s not the first time you’ve seen it, so you kind of know what to expect, so you try to deal with that as best you can relating to those experiences that you’ve had in the past,” Fraley said. “You experience a lot, what the worst of what humanity has to offer and we see that in our jobs as TBI agents working death investigations, especially in the worst of the worst cases… the cases involving children and there’s nothing you can really prepare for.”

But he says whether in a combat zone or on a crime scene, there’s a common goal.

“Law enforcement, policing which isn’t always bad things happening, there’s a lot of opportunities there that you’re able to help people,” he said. “And that’s what the Marine Corps was about too: fighting battles and that kind of thing, but ultimately it’s to make the world a better place and help people.”

Agent Fraley is getting ready to mark 20 years with the TBI. He’s also the Vice Commander for the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2166 in Elizabethton.

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