Photo By Spc. Devin Davis | U.S. Army Pfc. Luke Ferguson, a 2nd class engineer diver with the 569th Engineer Dive...... read more read more
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FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii – When the average person hears “The Few, The Proud,” many may think of the Marines. However, if you ask an engineer in the Army what they think of, they’ll answer “an Army diver.”
According to Staff Sgt. Kyle Ferguson, a lead diver with the 7th Engineer Dive Detachment, 130th Engineer Brigade, there are approximately somewhere between 140-150 divers in the Army. He and his brother, Pfc. Luke Ferguson, a 2nd class engineer diver with the 569th Engineer Dive Detachment, 130th Engineer Brigade, are two of those proud few.
Growing up, Luke participated on the swim team from elementary through high school. As a child, the pool they used for practice was in the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center. While attending Luke’s swim training there, Kyle discovered that the Army had divers.
“I knew I wanted to be around the water, and had every intention of joining the military, but things change. Before enlisting, I attended college for marine biology,” said Kyle. “I ended up switching at one point to a vocal major. That’s when I realized it was time to join while I was still young, but I had no idea what I was getting myself into.”
It wasn’t until Kyle arrived to Army dive school that he realized what he had signed up for.
“I signed that line saying that I knew how to swim, but in fact, I did not know how to swim the way the Army wanted me to,” said Kyle. “There were plenty of times where I struggled. It’s supposed to be a struggle. On my own I can tread water indefinitely, but you give me weights I’ll hand it to you from the bottom of the water.”
With a 10-year age gap, Luke was in the sixth grade when Kyle left for the Army. Ever since then, he’s looked up to his big brother and wanted to do the same thing because of his love for diving.
Before joining the Army, Luke thought about being a neurosonographer, someone who performs ultrasounds on the brain and nervous system, as well as a civilian underwater diver.
“I eventually decided to dive for the military after seeing my brother do it,” said Luke. “The benefits of the military seemed more worth it in the long run. It would also give me a chance to work with my brother Kyle, because the dive field is so small, we were guaranteed to cross paths.”
During Luke’s junior year of high school, an Army recruiter told him he could reserve a slot as an Army diver. Knowing there were not many slots for this job available, he quickly signed an enlistment contract. Two months after graduating high school he left for basic training.
After basic training, dive school phase one starts with a 14-day course on Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Army dive school is demanding and difficult. Of the 20 people in Luke’s class, he and two others were the only graduates.
Upon graduating phase one, Luke went to Panama City, Florida, where he was another one of six to graduate the following six-month phase two course.
The intensity of the dive school training is one of the reasons there are so few divers in the Army.
“People will sign up because how cool they think the job is, but they don’t expect the crazy amount of work they have to do. You go through a bunch of physical and mental tests. They want to make sure you can be trusted,” said Luke. “If someone gets injured on the seafloor, they want to make sure that you can keep calm and collected. They want to make sure you can save them and you’re not going to abandon your dive buddy down there.”
Army divers have to be reliable. Both brothers agreed that the dive school was a complete shock to them but taught them teamwork and the importance of trusting their teammates. Since so few Army divers exist, there wasn’t much advice to prepare them. However, the drill sergeants from their basic training did warn them about the tough road ahead.
“It’s all a mind game. They’re trying to see how well you will be able to hold yourself together in a very bad situation,” said Luke. “They are filtering out the people that they can’t depend on.”
During Luke’s time in advanced individual training he would call his brother to keep him updated on his progress. Of course, with the Army diver community being so small, and knowing most of the instructors, Kyle heard if Luke was doing well or not.
“When he (Luke) called, I would tell him, ‘If you want to do it, then you have to want it. Keep pushing for it. If you don’t want it, then don’t force yourself to do it because you’re not going to be any happier on the other side,’” said Kyle.
Throughout their conversations, Kyle would continue to remind Luke that it was always his choice. He could either choose to fight for it or request out and change jobs. According to Kyle, the field is very excited about how tough it is. It’s part of why Army divers are so proud.
“It was both good and bad pressure. I knew if I quit or I failed, Kyle would always mess with me for it,” said Luke. “Kyle was really proud when I graduated. He was happy to find out we were getting stationed at the same place. I felt good being reunited because I hadn’t seen my brother in years. What’s even better is now I get to see him every day because I work with him.”
Expressing how great their bond is, both brothers stated that they love spending time together and rarely tire of each other’s company. They claim if anything, being together makes them work harder. They are always there for one another, and the extra anticipation of knowing they would see each other soon made it that much more exciting. By this time almost two years had passed since they’ve seen one another.
“The first thing I said to Luke when I saw him was, ‘I’m just so glad you made it,’” said Kyle. “It was fantastic.”
For some new recruits, arriving to their first duty station may be frightening. Add the fact that Luke’s detachment also just transferred to Hawaii. Luckily, his big brother was able to assist him with settling in.
“I did not know about being on my own because I joined fresh out of high school,” said Luke. “Having him here to guide me through everything has been very helpful. If I have any questions, I know I can go to him.”
Since coming to Hawaii, Luke’s favorite places are Kailua Beach and North Shore. He and his brother also plan on diving together as a hobby during their personal time on the island. Their future goals are to retire from the Army in the dive field, eventually becoming master divers. So far, Luke is a quarter way into his checklist needed to become a salvage diver, while Kyle is three-quarters way into his checklist to qualify as a dive supervisor.
| Date Taken: | 03.07.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 03.07.2024 21:22 |
| Story ID: | 465671 |
| Location: | HONOLULU, HI, US |
| Web Views: | 73 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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