CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — A rescue swimmer assigned to U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Corpus Christi is being called a hero for rescuing 165 from Camp Mystic during the July 4th flooding disaster.
Petty Officer Scott Ruskan says his rescue team was sent to Central Texas on what should have been a 1-hour flight.
Ruskan says the flight took about 10 hours because of bad weather conditions. The 26-year-old New Jersey native says when his helicopter landed at Camp Mystic, they were met by about 200 children.
He led the children in groups of 10 and 15 toward the rescue helicopter. Ruskan decided to stay behind to make more room on the helicopter for the flood victims. Ruskan says this was his first rescue mission but says he was just doing his job.
He says, " I'm just a person, right? I'm just a guy. I'm just a dude. I, I, you know, I chose to enlist in the Coast Guard. Anyone is able to do this. Anyone's able to do this job; if you raise your right hand, do it. So, I'm just happy I was given the opportunity to help these people out."
Petty Officer Scott Ruskan used to be an accountant, but in 2021, he enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard.
