Saturday evening, September 1. The tables and, silver and china glittered and the crowd was in a festive mood. The conference was coming to a close and the mood was upbeat. “It was a satisfying experience, a first time for me,” said Flotilla Commander Don Procia from D7.

The keynote speaker of the evening was Rear Admiral Brian Salerno, Assistant Commandant for Policy and Planning. In his remarks RADM Salerno spoke of the new and ongoing challenges facing the Auxiliary in their support of the Coast Guard. He cited the use of the Auxiliary as a “force multiplier” and their valuable role within the Coast Guard family

ADM Salerno spoke of the increase in Auxiliary membership and the many opportunities for the new "AP" status members to now enjoy. He was glad to announce that the time for the processing of the new members was continuously shrinking.

Mr. Earl Markam, an Auxiliarist from District 13 was cited for 55 year membership in the organization. D13 Commander, RADM Currier assisted NACO Budar in the presentation. Mr. Markam was greeted by a standing ovation as he accepted the certificate from the Commodore.

National Commodore Steve Budar then conferred Honorary Life Membership on Mr. Adrian Van Der Hoeven, President of the Citizens Rescue Organization, Curacao. The full text of the presentation may be found in the "Awards" section of SITREP’s NACON coverage.

A considerable number of awards conferred on Auxiliarists or their units were presented. These awards are listed in the "Awards" section of SITREP’s coverage of NACON 2007.

Commodore Budar closed the proceedings with an invitation to attend NACON 2008 in Orlando.