When Drew Norris received his orders to report to Coast Guard Station Barnegat Light as its new commanding officer, it was as though he was coming home after a two-year absence. Sort of.

“We have so much turnover, I’d say maybe 20% of the people here now were here when I left,” said Norris, who grew up along North Carolina’s Outer Banks. “With different crews, the station pretty much kind of changes; the dynamics of how things work change.