Photo of Scott Ruskan (Credit: Perry Shirzad, USCG)

The morning of Friday, July 4, 2025, dawned with an ominous sky over Central Texas. For 26-year-old Petty Officer 3rd Class Scott Ruskan, a U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer stationed at Air Station Corpus Christi, it was supposed to be a routine duty day. Little did he know, it would become the day his extensive, high-level training would be tested in the most harrowing way imaginable, marking his very first official rescue mission.

Ruskan, a New Jersey native who had initially pursued accounting, joined the Coast Guard in 2021. After completing basic training, he underwent the rigorous Aviation Survival Technician School in Petaluma, California, a program renowned for producing some of the world’s most skilled rescue swimmers. Since November, he had been on call, meticulously training on the MH-65 helicopter and honing his advanced rescue swimming techniques, always preparing for the moment he’d be called to save lives. That moment arrived with a frantic request from Texas Task Force 1.

The call came in around 7 a.m. His team was needed to respond to catastrophic flooding sweeping across Central Texas, particularly in Kerr County. What should have been an hour-long flight from Corpus Christi to Hunt, Texas, turned into a grueling seven to eight-hour battle against “some pretty serious weather” – some of the worst flying conditions the crew had ever encountered. The skies raged, mirroring the chaos unfolding on the ground below.

Their destination: Camp Mystic, a century-old Christian girls’ summer camp nestled along the Guadalupe River. The river, normally a tranquil ribbon, had transformed into a monstrous, churning beast. In a terrifying 90 minutes, it surged an unimaginable 20 to 26 feet, swallowing everything in its path. Over 700 campers and staff were suddenly trapped, their world engulfed by a wall of water. Roads and bridges were obliterated, making ground and boat rescues impossible. The only way out was by air.

Upon arrival, the scene was apocalyptic. The camp was a landscape of devastation, submerged and isolated. With limited space on the helicopter, a bold, life-saving decision was made: Scott Ruskan would be left on the ground. He became the sole first responder, the only triage coordinator amidst the chaos. For three agonizing hours, he had no communication with his crew as helicopters came and went, ferrying children to safety.

Imagine the scene: nearly 200 scared, terrified, and freezing children, many without shoes, their feet cut by wet rocks as they were guided through the treacherous, debris-strewn waters. Counselors, equally brave, were “throwing kids out the door” of cabins to get them away from the rising floodwaters, then carrying them to the helicopters. Ruskan was their anchor, a voice of calm in the storm. He organized groups of 10 to 15 children and some adults, guiding them to the helicopter landing zone, a small patch of relative safety with more first responders. He comforted the traumatized, tended to the injured, and worked relentlessly to get them to higher ground and medical care.

“I just happened to be on the duty crew,” Ruskan humbly stated later, downplaying his extraordinary courage. He relied on his rigorous training, confident that any Coast Guard rescue swimmer would have done the same. But he also drew strength from the very children he was saving. “The real heroes, I think, were the kids on the ground,” he told Good Morning America. “Those guys are heroic, and they were dealing with some of the worst times of their lives, and they were staying strong. That helped inspire me to get in there and help them out.”

Thanks to his tireless efforts, 165 lives were saved from Camp Mystic. Yet, the tragedy of the Texas floods is immense. As of the latest reports, at least 102 people have died across the region, including 27 campers and counselors from Camp Mystic. Eleven more, including 10 girls and one counselor, remain missing, their families clinging to hope amidst the heartbreak. The mission, as Ruskan himself noted, is far from over.

Petty Officer Scott Ruskan’s actions embody the very best of humanity – selfless courage, unwavering dedication, and profound humility in the face of unimaginable disaster. His story, and the stories of all the first responders and volunteers, remind us of the incredible strength and compassion that emerge when communities are tested.

To Scott Ruskan, and to all the brave men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard, the National Guard, Texas Task Force 1, and every single volunteer who ran into the storm to help others:

Thank you. Thank you for your bravery. Thank you for your sacrifice. Thank you for being the light in the darkest hours. Your unwavering commitment to saving lives is a beacon of hope and a testament to the extraordinary spirit of service. We are eternally grateful.