SPECTACULAR RESCUE: Two hours ago, Daniel O’Donnell expressed deep gratitude on behalf of all the victims of the Texas floods to a swordless hero who saved more than 150 lives in one of the most devastating floods in recent history. Let us honor him!

Coast Guard Swimmer Who Rescued 165 from Camp Mystic Speaks Out: ‘The Real Heroes Were the Kids’

Kerr County, TX — In the middle of Texas’ deadliest flooding in years, a 26-year-old Coast Guard rescue swimmer completed his very first mission—saving the lives of 165 people. But Scott Ruskan, who braved hours of dangerous flying conditions and the chaos on the ground, says the true heroes weren’t in uniform.

“They were the kids,” he said. “Those guys were heroic. They were dealing with the worst day of their lives and still holding it together.”

Ruskan, stationed at the U.S. Coast Guard’s Air Station Corpus Christi, was on duty the morning of July 4 when the call came in. Flash floods had overtaken Camp Mystic, a Christian girls’ camp along the Guadalupe River, and hundreds were stranded. Though the flight from Corpus Christi to Hunt, Texas, should have taken an hour, extreme weather made it an eight-hour ordeal.

Once on the ground at Camp Mystic, Ruskan made a split-second decision to stay behind. With only him and frightened children on the scene, he became the camp’s only immediate first responder.

“I was kind of the main guy as far as grabbing people,” he said, guiding groups of 10 to 15 children at a time toward helicopters in designated landing zones on an archery field and soccer field. He worked alongside the U.S. Army National Guard, ferrying girls and staff to safer areas with medical aid and additional rescuers.

Ruskan had only completed his rescue swimmer training six months earlier. Still, he relied on the intensive training he received, knowing it was now a matter of life and death. “They didn’t care about my experience or rank,” he said. “They just saw someone who was there to help.”

In total, Ruskan helped evacuate 165 campers and counselors. But the tragedy remains profound: Camp Mystic later confirmed that 27 individuals perished in the floods, including camp owner Richard “Dick” Eastland, whose final moments were reportedly spent saving children.

“There’s still a lot of people missing and unaccounted for,” Ruskan said. “The mission’s not over yet.” As the community mourns its losses, Ruskan’s actions stand as a powerful example of courage. Still, he remains humble. “I just did my job,” he said. “The kids—they’re the ones who got me through it.”

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