MCITTA E-Bulletin Number 01-08

My Fellow Marine Interrogators,

We are fast approaching our Annual Gathering for 2008 in the Washington, DC area of Chantilly, Virginia at the Hyatt Dulles Hotel. Less than 60 days and closing! I am looking forward to seeing you there. Let’s make an impressive showing!

As you well know, this year we are celebrating with the other three intelligence associations in the Committee of Marine Corps Intelligence Associations combined setting. This is only the second time all four organizations have met in one place. The last was in 2004 at Reno and proved to be a splendid event.

This year we have Don and Lynne James on station to ensure our Association’s interests are first and foremost. Don has outlined a marvelous agenda, the venue is great with many Marine Corps oriented activities available, and the wonderful opportunity to meet with old friends from the other intelligence disciplines cannot be overlooked. Don has finalized the schedule of events and is included in the complete registration package available on our website. Since publishing our Gathering information in The Spot Report, there have been some changes and modifications. You will notice some of the fees for our planned activities have changed. As we are all painfully aware, the cost of transportation is driven by the ever-increasing cost of fuel. Don has contracted a charter bus for our transportation needs; however, we do have to prorate the cost among our attending members. The more people who attend, the less the cost per person. Right now we are anticipating $20 per person for each event where transportation is needed. If you have ever done any driving in DC and the suburbs of Virginia around the Beltway, you will gladly pay the $20 just to avoid the hassle of fending your way through the crushing traffic. Remember, the more people who attend the Gathering, the less our transportation costs will be.

All in all, this is sure to be the least expensive of all our previous Gatherings. Most of the events we have scheduled do not have any fees associated with them, other than the transportation costs mentioned, including our highlight visit to the new National Museum of the Marine Corps. Generally, the planned stops for eating will be no host and on your own, with the exception of dinner on Thursday night at the Globe & Laurel, just outside Marine Corps Base, Quantico following our day at the Museum. If you’ve never been to “the Globe” you are in for a treat. The food is great and the atmosphere superb, for Marines.

Changes

It was mentioned in The Spot Report we were anticipating a tour of the Pentagon. I know many of you who have had a tour of duty at the Pentagon may not wish to ever see the place again, but many of our members have not had this “adventure.” Unfortunately, we won’t this time either. It seems the logistics to carry this off are quite daunting. Short of leaving your first born as collateral, the background information needed on each person in the tour proved to be more of an undertaking than we were aware or willing to undertake. Again— the results of an increase in security, in a post 9/11 world. Thus, this event has been cancelled. However, we are still looking forward for a tour of the Capitol and, hopefully (depending on his schedule), a meeting with Senator Jim Webb (D-Va), former Secretary of the Navy, author of many books, and a former Marine officer who holds the Navy Cross, Silver Star, Bronze Star (2) and Purple Heart (2) for his actions in Vietnam.

Guest of Honor

Originally, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Peter Pace, USMC was invited as the combined convention banquet Guest of Honor. Unfortunately, General Pace had a prior commitment and reluctantly declined our invitation. Thus, we invited the Commandant of the Marine Corps, General James Conway, who also declined, as he will be out of the country on that date. We are now hoping the Assistant Commandant, General Robert Magnus will accept and honor us as our guest. However, at this time, plans for a Guest of Honor are tentative and may change as circumstances dictate. We shall keep you posted.

Golf

In past years we have attempted to have a golf tournament as part of our Gathering. Well, interest has been minimal and the golf event has been relegated to a post-Gathering happening among the die-hard golfers like John Lopez and Jack Parker, and hackers like Mitch Paradis and myself. We anticipated inaugurating this year’s golf affair as the Jim Riemer Classic, to honor our good friend and golf aficionado, Jim Riemer, who managed a Hole in One during our first tournament at Nellis AFB in 2003. However, it has been decided to delay this auspicious occasion by one year and initiate it during the San Diego Gathering. In this venue, we will have ample and more suitable space and facilities to make this an event for everyone, not just golfers. We anticipate the Jim Riemer Classic will include a general outing with picnic and BBQ, games for all, and a golf format that will encourage even the most basic amateur, or even the non-golfers among us to get out and play and join the fun activities. With everyone’s cooperation and participation, we hope this will be an anticipated highlight of our Gatherings in the future. More will be revealed as the planning committee formulates the event activities with entertainment for all. Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, this year those same die-hards will trek to Quantico on Saturday, 6 September for a round of golf at the Medal of Honor Golf Course: Jim Haskins; John Lopez; Jim Riemer; and Mitch Paradis. There is plenty of room for anyone who wants to stay an extra day and join us. (It’s always fun to watch Mitch throw his clubs around as he whacks away in the deep rough of some Virginia swamp.)

Who’s Attending

I cordially invite and encourage you all to attend our 6^th Annual Gathering. Help to make this year the most successful event so far. The past five Gatherings have been great! Let’s all move to make this one the finest. Please go to our website at www.mcitta.org to download an updated information and registration package, and check the list of who’s attending. I’m sure you’ll find a name or two of someone you haven’t seen in a number of years and would love to sit down and have a beer with and a long chat.

Please review all the changes on Don’s schedule and if you have already registered and not sent in sufficient money to cover the transportation costs, I apologize for being a bit remiss and hope you understand the dynamics of the times. If you don’t send Don the additional fees prior to the Gathering, please be prepared to cover the costs when you arrive.

Until then, Semper Fi, and I look forward to seeing you all.

Jim Haskins

To download a complete updated 2008 MCITTA 6th Annual Gathering Information and Registration Package, go to our website at: www.mcitta.org and click on Gatherings, or the special link in the center of the page. There you will find an updated schedule with full information. Please make your own reservations at the Hyatt-Dulles by using the phone or the special on-line registration tab: CMCIA Convention Registration.