Mr. Bitto is a native of Augusta, Georgia. He served in the U.S. Air Force from August 1968 to December 1972 with assignments in Vietnam and Germany. Upon separation from the Air Force, he attended Shippensburg University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science in May 1975 and with a Master of Science in Public Administration in December 1976. He was commissioned a Regular Army Second Lieutenant and entered the U.S. Army on active duty in January 1977 and retired as a Colonel on 30 November 2003.
He reported in April 1977 to his initial assignment at Fort Gordon, Georgia and served as a Training Company Commander and then as Chief, Officers Management Branch. After completing the Signal Corp Advance Course in June 1981 in was assigned to Germany. He served as a company commander in the 43rd Signal Battalion, Heidelberg, Germany and then as the 69th Signal Battalion Operations officer in Augsburg, Germany.
He served at The Pennsylvania State University as an Assistant Professor of Military Science, until July 1988. Following attendance at Command and General staff College, he served as a Signal Corps’ Assignment Officer at the U.S. Army Total Army Personnel Command. He served as the Executive Officer of the 1120th Signal Battalion and 1119th Signal Battalion. In April 1993 to July 1995 he was the Deputy G6 U.S. Army III Corps.
In July 1995 he assumed command of the 1110th Signal Battalion; he was responsible for the Army’s operation of Defense Satellite Communication Systems sites at Fort Detrick, Fort Meade, Fort Belvoir, Fort Bragg and Camp Roberts. Following command he served as the Chief, Management Branch on the Chief of Staff, Army Staff.
After National War College he assumed command of the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Field Office U.S Southern Command, Miami, FL from July 1999 to August 2001. There he led the effort in the stand down of the Defense Information Systems Networks (DISN) services in Panama and standing up DISN services in Miami and Puerto Rico.
He assumed command of the newly formed DISA-Continental United States (CONUS) Field Command at Scott AFB, IL, August 2001 to August 2003.
He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Ks. In June 1999 he graduated from the National War College.
Upon his retirement in December 2003 he accepted a civil servant position at DISA’s Headquarters serving as the Chief, Transport Division, he was responsible for the global DISN circuit provisioning, engineering and system implementations. In January 2006, he assumed the Plans and Programs Manager /CIO position for Navy Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station, Pacific.
In April 2007, he assumed his current position as Deputy, J6 U.S. Southern Command.
Mr. Bitto’s awards include Defense Superior Service Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Army Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal,
He was selected for Shippensburg University Hall of Fame.
He is married to the former Sara Masares of Gualeguaychu, Argentina and they have 4 adult children.