Petty Officer Scott Ruskan, a U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer and New Jersey native, is being hailed as an American hero after his first deployment to central Texas over the July 4th weekend plunged him into a battle against raging floodwaters and life-or-death stakes.
The only triage coordinator at the scene, Ruskan was directly responsible for rescuing at least 165 people, mostly children, from the floodwaters that inundated Camp Mystic, a Christian girls’ camp near the Guadalupe River.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Scott Ruskan, a U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer from Oxford Township in Warren County, graduated from Warren Hills High School in 2017. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in accounting with a minor in Homeland Security Policy from Rider University in 2021, according to his LinkedIn profile. His high school recently recognized him in a Facebook post celebrating his achievements.
In conversation with Good Morning America, Ruskan said he had “about 200 kids all scared and terrified, cold, probably having the worst day of their life.”
He added that he relied on the training he received as a Coast Guard rescue swimmer to bring the children to safety.
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Ruskan is stationed at U.S. Coast Guard Station Corpus Christi, located roughly 210 miles from Kerrville, where the Guadalupe River overflowed its banks. He told Good Morning America that severe weather made the journey to the flood zone nearly six hours long. When he finally arrived at Camp Mystic, he was the only certified rescue swimmer on scene.
Kristi Noem, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, praised Ruskan as an “American hero” in a post on the X platform, noting that it was Ruskan’s “first rescue mission of his career and the only triage coordinator on scene.”
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‘American hero’
Social media was buzzing over Ruskan’s heroics, with the official Homeland Security account on X posting, “AMERICAN HERO. 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.”
The X account, “Dudes Posting Their W’s” lauded Ruskan writing, “26-year-old Coast Guard rescue swimmer Scott Ruskan saved 165 lives during the Texas flash floods. A former KPMG accountant, he coordinated Blackhawks and MH-65s to reach survivors and get them to safety.”
Senator Ted Cruz wrote, “Yesterday, I had the honor of meeting @USCG Petty Officer Scott Ruskan while on the ground in Kerrville, Texas. On Officer Ruskan’s first rescue mission of his career, he saved the lives of over 165 individuals. As Texans, we are eternally grateful for his service.
Flash floods struck central Texas in the early morning hours of July 4, when the Guadalupe River near Camp Mystic surged over 25 feet in under an hour due to intense overnight rainfall. The rapid rise in water overwhelmed the banks, sweeping through the historic summer camp located in Kerr County and catching many off guard while they slept.
Officials estimate that nearly 30 square miles of surrounding land were affected, with debris fields stretching along the river’s course. The flooding destroyed cabins, washed away vehicles, and prompted large-scale rescue operations by air and boat. It is considered one of the most severe inland flood events in Texas history.
