This month brings one of my favorite events on the NGAUS calendar: the National Guard Executive Directors Association (NGEDA) conference.

The meeting gathers state Guard association officials each January at the site of that year's NGAUS General Conference to share best practices on matters such as membership, legislation and revenue generation.

These people are the heart, soul and backbone of our association. NGAUS is an association of state associations, and it's the executive directors and the elected presidents who keep it all intact.

They are also an invaluable source of information. And that's one of the main reasons why I enjoyed the NGEDA conference so much last year.

Most of the executive directors, and many of the presidents, have been with the Guard, NGAUS and their state associations for years, and in some cases, decades. They have the pulse of their state associations and they know the needs of their soldiers and airmen.

If I want to know how things are going in a state association, I know the go-to people. And at the NGEDA meeting, they're all right there, proud to share their latest news.

The gathering also provides a preview of the NGAUS General Conference. We'll get an update on conference planning from the host state organizers and be able to tour the hotels and the convention center.

I know my wife, Rowana, and I left NGEDA in Puerto Rico last year with a real good sense of what to expect when we returned for the General Conference. I expect we'll leave Baltimore this month with the same idea about the 130th General Conference in September.

The NGEDA meeting serves as the official start of the conference season. Over the next few months, almost every state and territory association will hold a conference.

If you've never attended a state conference, you're missing something special. They're the place to find out more about your militia heritage and your state association. They're also a great way to immerse in the special camaraderie that is the Guard.

I've been active in the Indiana association and a regular at our conference for years. But last year, I also represented NGAUS at a handful of state conferences elsewhere around the country. It was an experience I won't soon forget.

As I said in my annual report in August, it was while attending state conferences last year that I gained an even greater appreciation of the fierce yet respectful state militia pride that bonds our association. It was an inspirational experience.

I plan to attend as many state conferences this year as my schedule will allow.

No doubt one of the topics of conversation in Baltimore this month will be the fiscal 2008 defense authorization bill.

Regular readers of this page should know what a historic piece of legislation this is for the Guard with progress on empowerment and so many other issues important to the future of our force.

You've probably also heard President Bush vetoed the measure. He believes a provision in the bill unrelated to the Guard would expose the Iraqi government to expensive lawsuits.

We've been monitoring this development closely. Everything indicates Congress and the president should be able to resolve the matter quickly when lawmakers return to work late this month.

But we will remain vigilant. If something changes, we'll use our Web site and e-mails to alert you. Stay tuned because if something changes, your calls and letters from the field could make a difference.

If the Guard provisions remain-and that's what we expect-we need to maintain our momentum and build on our successes.

We need to tell Congress that we're thankful for the progress on Guard empowerment, reduced-age retirement and several critical equipment issues. But we need to be clear that we still don't have all the access and all of the resources we need to accomplish our missions.

We simply need to keep pressing.

Proud to serve.

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