Coast Guard Swimmer and Aircrew Save 165 Lives in Heroic First Rescue During Texas Floods

Scott Ruskan, a former accountant at KPMG who enlisted in the Coast Guard in 2021, was stationed in Corpus Christi, Texas, when the call for assistance came at approximately 5:57 a.m. on July 4. Despite challenging weather conditions, including low visibility that extended the 160-mile flight to six hours, Ruskan and his aircrew—consisting of Lt. Ian Hopper, Lt. Blair Ogujiofor, and Flight Mechanic Seth Reeves—reached Camp Mystic to join a force of about 12 Coast Guard and National Guard helicopters.

Upon arrival, Ruskan volunteered to remain on the ground to maximize space on his MH-65 Dolphin helicopter, allowing two additional evacuees per trip. As the only triage coordinator at the scene, he took charge of organizing the chaotic evacuation, providing both medical triage and emotional support to terrified campers. “I had about 200 kids—scared, cold, and terrified. Probably the worst day of their lives,” Ruskan recounted on Good Morning America.

Ruskan set up two landing zones on the camp’s archery and soccer fields, enabling multiple helicopters to operate simultaneously. He shuttled campers to safety, sometimes carrying two girls at a time, and reassured others that he would return for them. When some asked if they could bring their stuffed animals, he responded, “Of course.” His calm presence and leadership were pivotal in evacuating 165 individuals, setting a new Coast Guard record for lives saved in a single response.

A Team Effort Amid Tragedy

The rescue operation was a collaborative effort involving the Coast Guard, Texas Department of Public Safety, Air National Guard, and Texas Task Force 1, a FEMA urban search and rescue team. Over 400 first responders from more than 20 agencies, supported by dozens of canines and over 100 air, water, and ground vehicles, worked tirelessly in Kerr County. As of July 6, more than 850 people had been rescued across the region, though the death toll continued to climb, and hope of finding additional survivors dimmed.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott vowed to continue search efforts, stating, “We will remain 100 percent dedicated, searching for every single one of the children who were at Camp Mystic, as well as anybody else, and the entire riverbed to make sure that they’re going to be recovered.” President Trump granted a federal disaster declaration on July 6, directing federal assistance to the affected areas.

Ruskan’s Humility and the Real Heroes

Despite being hailed as a hero by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who praised his “selfless courage” on X, Ruskan remained humble. “Honestly, I’m mostly just a dude. I’m just doing a job,” he told The New York Post. “This is what I signed up for, and I think that any single Coast Guard rescue swimmer or any single Coast Guard pilot, flight mechanic, whoever it may be, would have done the exact same thing in our situation.”

Ruskan credited his training at the Coast Guard’s Aviation Survival Technician School in Petaluma, California—one of the most physically demanding programs in the military—for preparing him for the mission. He also praised the resilience of the campers, saying, “The real heroes, I think, were the kids on the ground; like those guys are heroic.”