National Vice Commodore Steve Budar called the Operating Committee (OPCOM) meeting to order promptly at 0730. Even at that early hour the room was buzzing with electricity. The time to roll out new ideas and speak about the accomplishments of the past year was rapidly approaching.

The OPCOM meeting is one of the few times each year (NACON and N-Train) that all of the National Department Chiefs have an opportunity to gather under one roof and share their information face to face.

The hardships that were being faced in New Orleans and the surrounding area was a topic in everyone’s conversation and Chief Director of the Auxiliary Captain Barry Smith said, “The Auxiliary helped out last year (the Florida hurricanes) and I’m sure we will be called to assist once more. As definitive plans are formulated, they will be spelled out and distributed to the membership.”

Since much of the reports offered at the OPCOM meeting deal with future plans of the departments, it would be premature to report them in this venue. As each department decides to finalize and present their new programs, they will choose the method of distributing this information to the general membership.

As in the past, the District Commodores were invited to sit in as observers to the meeting. “This allows the senior leadership of the Auxiliary to have an insight into what the National departments have in the works,” said NACO Gene Seibert. “Just hearing these reports first hand gives us a leg up and an idea of what’s in store for the future Auxiliary,” said Commodore Bob Johnson, D1NR.

What was very evident was the amount of teamwork between departments and a considerable amount of new program ideas that required the service and participation of more than one department.