A 26-year-old U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer is being hailed as an “American hero” after saving 165 lives during his very first rescue mission amid catastrophic flooding in Central Texas.
Petty Officer Scott Ruskan, a New Jersey native, was deployed to Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp for girls, located along the Guadalupe River — one of the areas hardest hit by the flash floods. The mission marked his first-ever real-world operation.
During the crisis, Ruskan served as the only triage coordinator on the ground, organizing urgent medical care while coordinating with 12 helicopters from the Coast Guard, National Guard, and U.S. Army that were airlifting victims to safety.
Praised by Homeland Security Chief
Kristi Noem, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, praised Ruskan on X (formerly Twitter), writing:
“United States Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer and Petty Officer Scott Ruskan directly saved an astonishing 165 victims in the devastating flooding in Central Texas. This was the first rescue mission of his career and he was the only triage coordinator at the scene. Scott Ruskan is an American hero.”
Who Is Scott Ruskan?
Ruskan grew up in Oxford, New Jersey and worked as an accountant at KPMG before joining the Coast Guard in 2021. After completing basic training, he attended Aviation Survival Technician school in Petaluma, California — one of the most rigorous programs in the military.
He was later stationed in Corpus Christi, Texas, where he trained on the MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and prepared for air rescue missions.
The flooding operation was his first live deployment.
On the Ground at Camp Mystic
Ruskan shared his experience during an interview on ‘Fox & Friends’, recounting how their helicopter crew spotted a large group of stranded campers below.
“We saw a huge crowd — about 200 kids — at a campsite,” he said. “So, we’re like, ‘Cool, that’s where we’re gonna go,’ and we just started getting as many people out as we could until they were all safe.”
According to Ruskan, around 200 people were evacuated from Camp Mystic alone, with him coordinating triage operations on the ground for hours.
“We’ve been getting our tasks mostly from the Army,” he said. “A lot of it has just been large-scale triages. We were at Mystic yesterday for a long period of time.”
Ruskan’s bravery, quick thinking, and leadership on the ground are credited with saving dozens of lives during one of the worst natural disasters to hit Texas in years.
