National Conference 2010

It's Thursday of National Conference (NACON) week for the Coast Guard Auxiliary in Scottsdale, Arizona. This is one of the two annual gatherings of our national leadership. This is the main meeting; the other is the Training Conference, which our leadership somehow thinks appropriate to be held in St. Louis in the dead of winter - late January.

A major event of this Conference is the election of our new National Commodore, Vice Commodore, and three Area Commodores - the core of our national leadership. These are the folks who will set our direction and make major policy decisions for the next two years. There are numerous seminars as well, with the intent of sharing current and new information in all kinds of areas.

Another significant event of the NACON is the Saturday night formal dinner, at which we get to hear from the new Commandant of the Coast Guard, Admiral Bob Papp. I, for one, am eager to meet him and hear from him in person. Video feeds are fine and all, but there is nothing that can substitute for a direct person-to-person meeting and hearing a speech first-hand.

Of course, there is also the fourth cornerstone - fellowship. There will be plenty of that, thankfully... renewal of old friendships and acquaintances as well as making new ones. I look forward to that.