GREAT FALLS — From the surface, Montana’s lakes and rivers may appear pristine — but just below, hidden trash paints a different picture.
Fortunately, one group is diving in to help, and they’re finding healing along the way.
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Service, Submerged: Veterans Take on Waterway Pollution
Underwater Soldiers, a non-profit based in Great Falls, is made up of certified SCUBA-diving military veterans who volunteer their time to clean Montana waterways. Their most recent cleanup at Gates of the Mountains marked a record-breaking haul.
“This is the most trash we've picked up to date,” said Mike Lukas, co-founder of Underwater Soldiers Great Falls Chapter. “So congratulations, everyone. Give yourselves a hand.”
Trash enters Montana’s waterways through runoff, rain, or littering, and it accumulates in hard-to-reach areas.
Volunteers recovered hundreds of pounds of debris, including unusual finds like metal rails, pipes, a toilet, and even a large carpet.
“It’s always a puzzle,” said diver Daniel Hurd. “What does this even go to? Who knows?”
More Than Cleanup: Diving as Therapy
For these veterans, the mission is about more than trash. Many members of Underwater Soldiers have faced physical injuries and emotional trauma.
SCUBA diving offers them an unexpected but powerful form of therapy.
“I was not the type that wanted to get out,” said Hurd, a former Army Ranger who was medically retired after a Stryker vehicle accident. “Alcoholism took over my life... and I’ve been sober now for six years.”
SCUBA diving helps veterans regain purpose and accountability.
“If you want to do well underwater, you’ve got to make sure your stuff is working. It creates that self-accountability again,” Hurd explained. “All of a sudden you’re checking in with a teammate... it’s familiar turf.”
Support That Extends to Families
The organization also brings together veterans’ families, creating a community where healing extends beyond the dive site.
After a hard day of work, volunteers share food, laughter, and connection.
“He talks to people. He’s talking to you with the camera — and that wouldn’t have happened without Underwater Soldiers,” said Starlette Hurd, Daniel’s wife. “That’s a fact.”
Breathing Life Back In
Underwater Soldiers is helping restore both Montana’s waters and Montana’s veterans, one dive at a time.
“Feeling like a soldier that couldn’t breathe in the world I lived in… all of a sudden Mike and them taught me how I could breathe underwater,” Hurd said. “And that was, oh man — yeah. I can breathe in life again.”
Are you or someone you know a military veteran or current servicemember suffering from PTSD? You can contact UWS on Facebook here or at the organization’s main website here.
And if you've ever wondered where the term SCUBA comes from, it's an acronym for Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus.
