Total Pro Sports
Coast Guard Petty Officer Scott Ruskan might be the biggest hero we’ve seen in the past 20 years.
Ruskan is being hailed as a hero after rescuing 165 flood victims during his very first rescue mission amid the catastrophic flooding that struck central Texas late last week.
“This was the first rescue mission of his career, and he was the only triage coordinator at the scene,” Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said Saturday on X.
“His selfless courage embodies the spirit and mission of the @USCG.”
Noem said the US Coast Guard Petty Officer, an aviation survival technician 3rd class stationed in Corpus Christi, directly saved 165 people from rising floodwaters in Kerr County.
Many reports stated he was directly responsible for rescuing 165 people, but according to the US Coast Guard’s press release, he was left with 230 flood victims in total at the campgrounds.
He provided medical assistance and aided in evacuating them.
The 26-year-old is being widely praised on social media and through the media.
NFL legend JJ Watt issued a powerful one-word message in praise of US Coast Guard Scott Ruskan.
Taking to X, Watt responded to an ABC interview with Ruskan and wrote: ‘Hero’ with a ‘praying’ emoji accompanying his message.
Hero.
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) July 7, 2025
The death toll in Texas has risen to 109 people after the devastating floods on July 4. Search and rescue efforts continue, and 161 people are known to be missing, according to Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
A Coast Guard rescue swimmer is already hailed as an “American hero” after his first mission helped save the lives of 165 Texas flash flood victims.
US Coast Guard Petty Officer Scott Ruskan was sent to Camp Mystic, where he found himself alone with around 200 children who were “all scared, terrified, cold, having probably the worst day of their lives,” Ruskan said in an interview with Good Morning America.
“I saw a huge crowd of about 200 kids at a campsite,” he said during an appearance on “Fox & Friends” on the morning of July 5. “We were like, ‘Cool, that’s where we’re going to go and get as many people out as we can.'”
This was Ruskan’s first rescue mission, he said.
“I really just relied on the training we get,” said Ruskan. “Coast Guard rescue swimmers get some of the highest-level training in the world.”
Also Read: Texas Gov. Abbott’s Shocking Football Analogy for Deadly Floods Sparks Outrage
