By Mass Communications Specialist Seaman Andrew Schickowski
They say sailors are forged by the sea, but it starts at home, right within their community.
As we celebrate 250 years of American military prowess, we’re also taking a moment to give honor to whom honor is due: to the men and women who make the armed forces what they are today.
Every veteran has a unique story, and for U.S. Navy Senior Chief Laymoun Ferguson, his 28-year career is just that.
Growing up in Killeen, Texas, Ferguson was destined for a life of service. Inspired by his friend’s early success in the Navy and his parents’ Army careers, he would soon follow the path of service.
Killeen is a very militarized town, he said; most kids he went to school with either had a parent or grandparent who served in the military, and that background definitely had an impact on him. But what truly shaped him was his parents. He said they were very loving, structured and raised in the church.
“When I was in high school, I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to do,” said Ferguson. “Growing up in a military family, mom and dad were in the Army, and I had a friend who graduated high school a couple of years before and joined the Navy. He came home with a nice car, so I asked what he did, and he said he was in the Navy. At the time, I just thought, nice cars, water and beaches, and so I decided to join the Navy.”
Reflecting back on that decision, Ferguson said he had never really heard much about the Navy, and all he knew was his parents’ Army experience.
Originally, Ferguson entered the Navy as an undesignated sailor, meaning he had no specific job assignment. He would often find himself painting or cleaning and suffered from poor leadership early in his career. He didn’t know it at the time, but those early experiences would shape him into the leader he would later become.
“I came in from very humble beginnings, I learned a lot at my first command and there was a lot of bad leadership,” said Ferguson. “It was to the point where I decided to get out and go to college.”
It wouldn’t be very long before he would find himself back in a Navy uniform. A year later, the tragic events of 9/11 took place and it reinvigorated him; he knew it was his calling.
“When I came back into the Navy in 2002, I was a signalman, and I went to the Paul F. Foster, my second ship,” said Ferguson. “It was probably one of my better commands because of good mentorship, good chiefs, and good people.”
The Navy signalman would later merge into the job called quartermaster and he would remain there until 2004, when his career was about to take one of its biggest turns.
“Like any junior sailor, I did my career development board,” said Ferguson. “Master at Arms was something I was looking into and they were giving out a lot of money and so I made the right decision.”
Starting fresh would turn out to be exactly what he needed. Seven years into his Naval career and four commands later, he would find his why. In the Navy, master-at-arms are responsible for law enforcement, security and anti-terrorism measures on ships and military bases all over the world.
“Once I got in the job, I didn’t know there were so many elements to it,” said Ferguson. “I was a boat driver for a few years, lots of law enforcement and force protection. There are so many aspects to our job that people don’t really know about because they just see us at the gate, but there’s so much more to us.”
Ferguson has seen the world through the eyes of a master-at-arms, from the steel hulls of the USS Abraham Lincoln, USS Paul F. Foster and USS Portland to the arid lands of Djibouti, Africa, and the shores of Yokosuka, Japan. Along the way, he earned a bachelor’s in criminal justice and a master’s degree in business, as well as being awarded six Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals with a Silver Star, a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and a Joint Service Achievement Medal.
“I would say my most memorable deployment was to Africa,” said Ferguson. “That’s when I was doing personal protection jobs and given an extreme amount of responsibility. I got to travel the world, travel all over Africa and see things I’ve never seen before.”
We now arrive at the present. Ferguson is stationed aboard the USS Mesa Verde, where he’s been since 2023 and where he will finish his career. Starting out as an undesignated sailor, struggling early on and even leaving the Navy for a short time, only to come back and find the resurgence he needed, has all led up to this moment.
As Ferguson has grown in his career, he’s taken his opportunity on the Mesa Verde to be a truly motivating, impactful and present leader -- a deckplate leader.
“I’ve known him since he showed up in 2023. We flew out to the ship together, and I knew within about two conversations that he was going to be a rock star,” said Cmdr. James Lee, executive officer of USS Mesa Verde. “He was quickly one of the leaders I could rely on to get things done. His work ethic, his character, how he carried himself and the way he held the standard was impeccable.”
When asked what his proudest moment in uniform was, Ferguson said it was just seeing the sailors he poured into advance and find their way. He was able to see one of his best friends make the rank of chief, and those are the moments that make it worth it.
“One of the biggest things the Navy taught me was to be humble,” said Ferguson. “No one’s bigger than the team, I don’t care how far you make it up the ladder. I’ve had a moment in my career that taught me to be humble and I’ll never forget it. That moment probably set me on the right path, not just as a sailor but as a father and husband.”
His approach to leadership is knowing that every sailor is different. He likened it to raising kids, saying you can’t talk to your daughter the same way as you would to your son, and it’s the same way with leading sailors, all from different, diverse backgrounds.
When he’s not at work, he’s busy at home investing in his family.
“I’m a sports dad,” said Ferguson. “My daughter is a volleyball player 10 months out of the year, my son is involved in cross country and swim, and I coach high school basketball.”
When it’s all said and done, you hope to leave something behind bigger than yourself. His goal each and every day was to leave every place he went better.
“I hope to inspire somebody to get out and just do their best,” said Ferguson. “That’s what life is about, doing your best, right? Make sure that you’re in line with God. I’m not a preacher, but if you’re not in line with God, all of this will be forgotten.”
The impact was made and his presence was felt. After 28 years of faithful service, it’s time to come home. While he’s hanging up the eight-point cover, the pursuit of excellence doesn’t stop.
“I want to be known for being resilient,” said Ferguson. “I’ve made some bad choices in my career and learned from them. When you fall, when you hit a roadblock, get yourself up, dust yourself off and keep moving. Every day you wake up is an opportunity to do better.”