9th Annual Gathering

Social Activities

 The 9^th annual Gathering held in San Antonio was conjoined with the Annual “Fiesta San Antonio”.  Fiesta started in 1891 as a single event to honor the memory of the battles of the Alamo and San Jacinto which culminated in annexation of Texas from Mexico.  Our Gathering is a perpetual event to honor and perpetuate the Marine Corps Interrogator Translator Teams Association, its principles, and the Core Values of the United States Marine Corps.  These principles were met and the camaraderie was infectious among the more than 30+ attendees.  

Monday was dedicated to sign-in and registration plus the setup of the Hospitality Room, which was well stocked as usual.  A zesty and tasty Mexican meal was provided by Maria and enjoyed by all.  Conversation was lively and old friends reemerged.  Ray and Sandy Roth, Sam Lawrence, Warren Smith, Lynn and Marla Scott and Phil and Guadalupe Ferrari returned after a short absence.  The old reliables were present and a few of the normal attendees were sorely missed including Jeff and Jinx Smith, Mitch Paradis, Luke Thoma, and Jim and Victoria Haskins.  Also, new brothers and sisters arrived namely Curtis Ferrell and Cristina Leasure and for the MCITTA Banquet Tom Howard and Brian Kenney.

Tuesday at 0800, the Jim Reimer golf classic resumed with four players.  The competition was keen and the results determined that Jim Reimer and Warren Smith emerged victorious by one stroke over Jack Parker and me.  Probably a fitting result since the classic bears Jim’s name.  The dinner on the Riverboat prepared by the El Tropicano was delicious and well presented.  The ambiance of the Riverwalk experience was exhilarating and refreshing and topped off the early evening.  Upon return to the hospitality room, guest Karyn Mayes gave a presentation centered around the finding of a Japanese flag in her grandfather’s trunk unopened since the end of WWII.  She also presented pictures and other mementos for all to peruse.  Of particular note was a Letter of Commendation presented by Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal to the Second Marine Division for successfully securing the Tarawa atoll.  Coincidentally and strangely, the Letter of Commendation was missing from the Tarawa exhibit in the National Museum of the Marine Corps, Quantico, Virginia.  Of course, the hospitality room remained open until the wee hours with lively talk of Marine memories and the value of our annual Gathering.

Wednesday was an option day for our band of brothers. Ninety percent of the group travelled to Fredericksburg, Texas for a visit to the greatly expanded National Museum of the Pacific War.  The Admiral Nimitz Museum (Admiral Nimitz was born in Fredericksburg), George Bush Gallery of the Pacific War, the Plaza of the Presidents, Japanese Garden of Peace, Memorial Walk, and the Pacific Combat Zone are all part of the complex.  The other 10% either took a Trolley Tour of San Antonio or just hung out.  After the main body returned from Fredericksburg, a General Meeting was conducted and motions were made and approved by the Board.  These motions are covered in Official Business at the end of this IR.  After the General Meeting, the hospitality room remained open until the wee hours with lively talk of Marine memories and the value of our annual Gathering. 

Thursday brought the gathering initially to a briefing and tour of the Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Marine Detachment.  We also viewed a 12 minute video of the Center for the Intrepid (CFI). 

The Center for the Intrepid is a rehabilitation facility to treat amputees and burn victims. It is located next to the Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas.  It was specifically built to provide care for United States service men and women who have served in military operations in the Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan.  Veterans from previous conflicts are also eligible to receive treatment as well as other military personnel who have sustained injuries in other operations, training exercises, or in non-combat situations.

The 4-story, 65,000-square-foot (6,000 m²) facility was officially dedicated on January 29, 2007.  Guests attending the ceremony included United States Senators John McCain and Hillary Rodham Clinton.  The structure was financed entirely by private donations.  Over 600,000 people contributed to the $50 million construction cost.

For lunch, we attended a barbecue cookout hosted by Combat Marine Outdoors. Combat Marine Outdoors is a non-profit organization with a mission "to provide Dream Hunts and Outdoor Adventures for severely wounded Marines, Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors and Navy Corpsmen," according to the organization's website.  The organization has plans to take hunting trips to Canada and Africa in the near future.  The three-day event provides wounded Marines and Marine veterans an opportunity to focus on their abilities and enjoy the hunting experience. This most informative, heart-warming, and gratifying salute to our Wounded Warriors concluded with a tour of the Warrior Family Support Center (WFSC).

The WFSC on Fort Sam Houston is the only one of its kind, offering a safe environment for Military Families to reconnect during medical treatment and restart their lives with the full support of the military community.  The WFSC was built and functions completely with private and business donations.  It provides a friendly, comfortable environment in which to take a break, watch a movie on big-screen TV's, play video games, check email or use the Internet, select a book or magazine to read, make a phone call or just grab a cup of coffee.  Wounded Warriors and their Family members visit the WFSC to maintain contact with other military members or extended Family members, to receive emotional support and answers to their questions, and to extend their rehabilitation away from the hospital.  The rehabilitation involves learning to cope with war related disabilities as individuals, as couples and as Families.

Thursday wound down with our MCITTA Banquet.  We began with the presentation of the Last Man standing table culminated with a rousing rendition of the Marine Hymn sung by all present.  Dinner was served.  After the hearty meal, music and dancing followed with MSGT Mike Bianchino doing his thing as DJ and singing sensation. Camaraderie abounded and adult beverages were enjoyed by all.  Of course, the night could not end properly without a night cap in the Hospitality Room.  Lights out – can’t remember when.  
 

Photos by Ray Roth

Friday culminated our 9^th Gathering with a breakfast buffet at the EL Tropicano and final goodbyes, Semper Fi to everyone and promises to return for another Gathering planned in conjunction with the 236^th Birthday of our beloved Corps at Fort Huachuca in November, 2012.

Official Business

The Board voted and approved the following motions from the floor:

·        That the Gathering include weekend and/or a holiday so that members still working could attend.

·        To Seek out a "reunion organization" set up Gatherings, provided said organization is vetted by the MCITTA.

·        That the next Gathering in November 2012 be held at Fort Huachuca in conjunction with the Marine Corps Ball

·        That the Gathering in 2013 be held in Camp Lejeune in conjunction with the dedication of the MCITTA MEMORIAL date TBD

·       That General Meeting business sessions will be conducted using Roberts Rules of Order.

The Board voted and disapproved the motion from the floor to schedule Gatherings 18 months apart.

The Board voted and disapproved the motion from the floor to conduct General Meeting business sessions IAW the Democratic Rules of Order.

The Board appointed MSGT Mike Bianchino to the office of Vice President of MCITTA.  

Treasurer report indicates that our association is viable.  We have the finances to erect the Memorial.   But, we can always use additional contributions. 

MCITTA historian Warren Smith needs your input to our ITT Personal Experience Questionnaire
(a list of 11 questions).  He can be reached at: wvhistory@ne.rr.com. Let’s capture our history and keep our ITT heritage alive. 

O. J. Hickok is working on compiling pictures of the Gathering in CD format.  He can be reached at: ohickok@hughes.net.  Wait a few weeks for him to complete before contacting.  

Semper Fidelis 

Vince Burdelski 
MCITTA Chairman of the Board