MCITTA E-Bulletin Number 03-10

The MCITTA E-Bulletin

An Email message for members of the

Marine Corps Interrogator Translator Teams Assn

Board of Officers

Chairman

Harry J. Todd, Jr.

Vince Burdelski

Mike Bianchino

Administrative Chief

MSgt Richard I. Mcgearty passed away on 28 February 2010, as announced in the April-June 2010 issue of Semper Fidelis, Memorandum for Retired Marines.

Dick was a longtime member of the 0251 field, having attended IPW school at the Army Intelligence School, Ft. Holabird, MD in 1966 and was in the same class as Andy Anderton, Jim Massie, Howie Kahn, and Mitch Paradis.

Andy Anderton wrote, "Mac spent time in the ITT's that were in the old dental clinic at Camp Las Pulgas at Camp Pendleton. My memories of Mac are that he was quite intense and quite thin. He would bring one of the large commissary bags to work with him every day. The bag was stuffed with food. He would eat everything he brought and, to my knowledge, never gained a pound. Last I heard of Mac was just before he retired in 1973. He was going to school working on a master's degree in library science."

Dick served with 9th ITT in Vietnam during 1967 and 68.

MSgt Richard Mcgearty was retired and living in Las Vegas when he passed away. He was interred in Riverside National Cemetery. His wife Teng, daughter Kim and son James were in attendance. He was 80 years old.

Semper Fidelis, Mac.

Our Legacy -

Your Responsibility

     Your involvement, commitment, and your personal attention to the matters of MCITTA and willingness to support our efforts to preserve our legacy is important.
     Your participation will provide the necessary funding to proceed with our stated project of erecting a monument to the honor and service of all Marine Interrogators since 1958. I urge you to show your support to preserve our heritage by sending your donation to the MCITTA Monument Fund.
     I know things are financially tough right now and I know some of you have been generous by donating already, but I’m making this special appeal for your renewed financial help because after nearly a year we are only half way toward reaching our goal.

At present, as Chairman of the Board I have no higher priority than the success of this legacy project. The reason this is so important is simply put, we cannot let this opportunity to preserve our history be left for others do for us. We must take our own initiative to ensure it is done right. It is our responsibility- not someone else.
I sincerely hope you will send a contribution even if you have already done so. With your help today we can meet this challenge and make MCITTA singular among other intelligence organizations.

Please let our Treasurer hear from you soon.

Harry

8th Annual Gathering
Tampa, Florida

My Fellow Marine Interrogators--

Time is rapidly approaching for the 8th Annual MCITTA Gathering, now just four months away. Time flies. As you already know, this year we are Gathering in Tampa along the waterfront at the Hyatt from 18 to 22 October. Go to our website for a link to the special Tampa Gathering website to download the registration form, view the schedule, and peruse the information provided by our hosts Paul Hernandez, Richard Quinones and Kris Hankinson. Make your reservations today. You may contact Jack Parker by email at parker2293@roadrunner.com for more information.

The planned scheduled will fill our days with a variety of events to suit all temperaments. There will be golf, dinner theater, riverboat cruises and a complete day set aside to appeal to the inner child still within each of us when we visit Busch Gardens. There will even be a bit of culture offered.

We eagerly anticipate a great turnout by Marine Interrogators from the 1980's and 90's era of the 0251 MOS period. We hope to have a great opportunity to meet many Interrogators from periods other than Vietnam. Esprit and camaraderie are always the driving factors at our Gatherings. We look forward to reaffirming our bond with all generations of Marine Interrogators.

We are only four months from our 8th Gathering. Our team on scene at Tampa continues to make preparations and is eager for you to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Your participation will ensure a successful event. Come on down and be a part of a new beginning for MCITTA. This Gathering represents a turning over of the reins to a new era of Marine Interrogators taking the lead in the future of MCITTA. The team in Tampa is a representative of what Marine esprit is all about. It is our responsibility to support their efforts. I anticipate seeing one and all again this year. Your presence will ensure MCITTA’s continued success.

I look forward to seeing you all there!

Semper Fidelis

State of the Association

Via this instrument I announce the closing of another year and what I hope is a new era for the future of MCITTA. Most if not all know our Team of Officers restructured to form a Board of Directors last year. Although this sounds major it didn’t change operations much. The Board will act much like the Team of Officers with the exception of elections by the collective members. A new slate of Directors will be established yearly by consensus of attending members at the annual business meeting and consent from among sitting Board members.

This past year MCITTA has performed those routine duties established by past SOP and has been busy addressing a few new but important matters. By popular approval in last year’s business meeting we elected to support the making, and placement of a monument to honor the service of all Marine Interrogators in Heritage Park at the Marine Corps Museum in Quantico. The fund drive has slowed but this is only reflective of present economic times. I am made aware that some members felt left out of this project and have labeled it “Harry’s Project” for not being included. The initial planning for this endeavor was accomplished by a select committee to preclude an interminable amount of time spent on trying to gain unanimity among so many. Done any other way we would not be nearly half way toward our stated goal of $40,000.00 and still be attempting to gain approval for the design.

MCITTA is still welcomed and their presence is sought at NMITC MAGTAF graduations. This positive exposure has generated numerous requests from outside observers wishing to belong. Our success as an organization even garnered an outreach from one of our sister associations to jointly participate in our Annual Gatherings. This effort has not been solidified but is still a work in progress. I thank all those who participated in the survey sent out to obtain a consensus.

Since our inception, eight years have flown past. We have remained cohesive but time has a way of slowly causing deterioration. Enthusiasm wanes and the spirit says yes while the body says no. Our membership is presently diminishing faster than increasing and we are inching closer to being forced to consider previously unthinkable options. Several factors have joined forces to cause not only the recent reorganization but some options for the future not generally openly discussed.

Projects such as compiling our history have not come fully together but praise is to be extended to Warren Smith and Chip Reid for their herculean efforts to put together a fairly comprehensive report of units, unit members, units supported, operations, individual assigned dates and rotation dates. Warren has also published a request and form for our members to submit their own histories in narrative form and this is moving slowly. If you have not yet taken the time to address this project I urge you to check it out. If we do not take advantage of this opportunity now no one will do it after we are gone. Your personal history tied so closely to a unit will be lost. Our website has cycled through several iterations and thanks to Jeff Smith’s constant monitoring we have a vibrant site that now includes a member’s only password protected page.

Your monetary support has been commendable not only for the monument fund but in general support. We continue to exercise due diligence and accountability of funds, as our organization continues to grow so do our expenses. I ask you all to be mindful of the financial and administrative needs and continue contributing and providing support to the fullest extent you possibly can.

Finally, to ensure a future for MCITTA I encourage you one and all to be bold, be brave and step forward. The 2011 Board of Directors needs to be selected/nominated/volunteered. Don’t sit back and depend on those positions being filled by someone else. Someone else may be doing the same thing. Grab the initiative, put your stamp on MCITTA and make it yours, step up. Your participation will ensure our longevity. We have been a success and made progress with ever changing and innovative leadership and creative ideas that have motivated constant change and weathered constant flux. MCITTA is yours to save.

Semper Fidelis,

Harry J. Todd, Jr.

Chairman of the Board of Directors

Official Journal of the Marine Corps Interrogator Translator Teams Association