# @thevigilantheroes on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DLzDTxLO6zF
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/66793561-thevigilantheroes-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/4d2e5f22e3.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-07-07T07:10:13.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Vigilant Heroes (@thevigilantheroes) — https://gondola.cc/thevigilantheroes

## Caption

“American hero” on his very first mission...Coast Guard rescue swimmer Scott Ruskan, 26, had barely completed training when he was thrust into one of the worst Texas flash floods in recent memory. A New Jersey native and former accountant, Ruskan answered the call to serve—and ended up helping save 165 lives on day one.
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Deployed to Camp Mystic, a Christian girls’ summer camp devastated by flash floods along the Guadalupe River, Ruskan found himself face-to-face with chaos: snapped trees, twisted metal, and campers still in pajamas—shoeless, cold, and terrified.
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With roads washed out and boat access impossible, helicopters were the only hope. Ruskan stayed on the ground, organizing airlifts, calming panicked survivors, and triaging those needing the fastest evacuation. Blackhawks and MH-65s took to the skies as Ruskan directed flight crews to stranded clusters, all while comforting sobbing children and heartbroken adults searching for the missing.
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“Any one of us would’ve done it,” Ruskan said humbly after the mission. But his actions—and composure under pressure—earned him national praise, including from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who called him an “American hero.”
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Raised in Oxford, NJ, and stationed in Corpus Christi, TX, Ruskan joined the Coast Guard in 2021, trained in Petaluma, CA, and had been waiting months for this kind of call. He didn’t hesitate when it came. As the search continues for the still-missing campers & counselors—Ruskan made one thing clear: “It’s not over yet.” 
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And that’s why we’re recognizing him today as a true Vigilant Hero—join us in saluting him in the comments—We’ll keep you updated: thevigilantheroes
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(Note: video in this post is from actual USCG ops in Kerrville, Texas on July 4th...but we’re unable to verify the identity of the hero in the video…saluting the whole USCG team!)… 
#hero #coastguard #uscg #rescue #Texas #AmericanHero #military #DHS #pararescue #rescueswimmer #texasstrong

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 2,988
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## Tags

military, texasstrong, rescue, americanhero, uscg, texas, coastguard, rescueswimmer, hero, pararescue, dhs

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