OAN Staff Abril Elfi
12:32 PM – Wednesday, July 9, 2025
A U.S. Coast Guard swimmer has been labeled an “American hero” after rescuing 165 people at Camp Mystic amid the deadly flooding in central Texas.
On Monday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) called Scott Ruskan an “American hero” after he saved approximately 165 lives during the tragic floods.
“As catastrophic floods swept through Central Texas, Rescue Swimmer Scott Ruskan and his Coast Guard aircrew answered the call of duty without hesitation—saving 165 lives during his first rescue mission,” they stated.
“The extraordinary bravery and selfless service of Ruskan and his fellow first responders embody the very spirit of the United States Coast Guard and the best of what it means to be an American.,” the post continued.
Ruskan, 26, was on duty at the U.S. Coast Guard’s Air Station Corpus Christi in Texas when the call came in for his team to respond to the deadly flooding that was sweeping Central Texas on July 4th at around 7:00 p.m.
“I just happened to be on the duty crew,” the 26-year-old New Jersey native humbly said on an episode of Good Morning America.
He went on to explain that a flight from Corpus Christi, Texas, and Hunt, Texas, would typically take around an hour. However, “some pretty serious weather” led to “some of the worst flying we’ve ever dealt with,” estimating that the flight lasted between “seven and eight hours.”
“We decided to leave me on scene at Camp Mystic. That was kind of our main triage site we were trying to help out with,” he recalled, explaining that the thought process was that it would free up more space on the rescue helicopter so that victims could be taken to safety.
“I kind of discovered I was the only person there as far as first responders go. So I had about 200 kids mostly. All scared, terrified, cold, having probably the worst day of their life. And I just kind of needed to triage them, get them to a higher level of care and get ’em off the flood zone,” he continued.
Ruskan worked alongside members of the United States Army National Guard to get all struggling people to safety.
“We kind of came up with two different landing zones. There was one off an archery field and then one in a soccer field. We were able to kind of land those 60s [rescue helicopters] in there. I was kind of the main guy as far as grabbing people,” he said.
Additionally, Ruskan stated that he was guiding groups of “between 10 and 15 children” and some adults on the scene in order to get them to safety.
Ruskan went on to explain that the objective was to transport them to an alternate landing zone—one that was relatively secure and staffed with more first responders than just himself.
The heroic first responder emphasized that this was his “first experience” saving lives at this magnitude, after completing his rescue swimmer training only six months prior.
“I really just kind of relied on the training we get. Coast Guard rescue swimmers get some of the highest level training in the world. So really just kind of relied on that, just knowing that any of the rescue swimmers in the Coast Guard would have done the exact same if not better than me,” he said.
He also noted that he was driven by the presence of frightened children at the scene, fully aware that they were entirely dependent on his expertise to ensure their safe evacuation.
“They don’t really know what my experience is or my rank or my age,” he said. “They just know, ‘Hey this guy is a professional, and he’s here to help us.’ And I kind of had to live up to that standard.”
In his interview, Ruskan concluded by saying that even though he has now been labeled a hero, he believes the “real heroes were the kids on the ground.”
“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,” he said.
Camp Mystic confirmed that 27 campers and counselors died in the floods in a statement.
“Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy. We are praying for them constantly,” the organization wrote, adding, “We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of support from community, first responders, and officials at every level.”
As of Wednesday, July 9th, at 12:30 p.m., at least 119 people have been confirmed to be deceased and more than 170 others are unaccounted for in Central Texas for — following the tragic floods.
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