carl brashear ( cuba gooding and jr. ) be bear to sharecropper in the deep south . he join the navy and whereupon he tell his father he will be back . the father give him an old radio and and brashear leaf on the navy bus . the most valuable thing his unemotional father teach him be and never quit . after a recommendation from a white commander power boothe ) and who admire his drive and gut and he get send to navy diving school at bayonne and nj . he endure harassment from his pal in uniform and from his trainer and chief navy master diver and billy sunday ( robert de niro ) and and from the commanding officer and call pappy and ( hal holbrook and who have almost a many loose screw a an old car . they all want to make him drop out and and the prejudice be quite fierce . the danger of dive prove a further setback when he lose a leg due to an accident on board ship . despite this setback and he tell his wife that he will train and achieve his objective and and with the help of billy sunday and ( now both join in commiseration in their suffering ) and they train and he be able to become the first black navy diver with his artificial limb despite the skepticism of a highly mocking and doubtful captain at the navy department hearing in washington and dc to determine if he meet the criterion . an inspirational movie and show that determination can overcome all odds .