Coast Guard officers heroically rescued nearly 200 people during the Texas Hill Country floods.
Four Coast Guard officers performed what officials are calling miraculous rescues in the July 4th floods, saving nearly 200 people in dangerous conditions that required rappelling through rushing water and rain. Aviation Survival Technician Scott Ruskan, Aviation Maintenance Technician Seth Reeves, Lieutenant Blair Ogujiofor and Lieutenant Ian Hopper conducted the majority of their rescues at Camp Mystic.
The crew spent the holiday swooping into valleys and carrying “the most defenseless and helpless to safety” during what became an intensive rescue operation. One week later, the experience still feels fresh for the four officers who are being hailed as heroes for their actions.
For each crew member, specific moments from the rescues have stayed with them. Ruskan recalled a young girl who asked if she could bring her stuffed animal in the helicopter.
“There was one little girl I don’t remember her name, but she asked me if she could bring her stuffed animal, if there was space in the helicopter. And the obvious answer was yes,” Ruskan said.
Seth Reeves found meaning in small gestures, remembering how he gave Jolly Ranchers to those being rescued. Ogujiofor was struck by the practical details, noting over the radio, “Hey why are these girls coming on without any shoes on?”
For Lieutenant Hopper, the rescue that haunts him most involved a frightened girl who reminded him of his role as a father.
“She’s got tears running down her face, and she’s scared, clearly she may have just lost her sisters, she may have her friends and I turn around and I give her a thumbs up, and she looks back at me and she gives me a thumbs up back, and musters a very scared but trying to be brave kind of smile,” he said.
The emotional impact of the rescues has continued beyond the immediate operation. The crew recently received a phone call from one of the children they saved.
“We received a phone call and we talked to one of those little girls who sat on the phone and uh, thanked, uh, them for being here,” Reeves said.
However, the gratitude from the young victims has proven difficult for the rescuers to process.
“The hardest thing I’ve ever had to do was not only listening to a small child who shouldn’t have to know the tragedies of this, but to thank us for something they really don’t understand,” Reeves said.
The rescue operation required the crew to work in challenging conditions, rappelling on ropes through rushing water during rainy weather as they worked to reach those in need of assistance.