Rep. Coble started off in 1949 in North Carolina, 250 miles inland, where he knew “virtually nothing” about the Coast Guard prior to enlisting. He was attending Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C. where his college classmates had gone to the recruiting office and talked him into going with them. Why the sudden interest? “I wrecked my dad’s car, for one thing,” chuckled Coble. “Ran it right off the road. I had a college deferment. Coble was soon a recruit at Training Center Cape May. After boot camp, Coble’s first duty station was a port security unit just outside of Portsmouth, Va. After five and a half years of active duty service, Coble transitioned into his role as an officer in the Coast Guard Reserve and continued to serve for 22 years.