Ruskan attended the Tuesday night address, accompanied by a Camp Mystic flood survivor.
SAN ANTONIO — The hero credited with saving more than 160 Texas Hill Country campers amid catastrophic July 2025 flooding was invited to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday evening, alongside one of the young girls he brought to safety.
Scott Ruskan was on his first Coast Guard recovery mission as a rescue swimmer when he helped evacuate young girls in Kerr County last summer. His team deployed from Corpus Christi when the Guadalupe River rose to historic levels the morning of July 4, uprooting trees and ripping homes from their foundations.
Ruskan and his team responded to Camp Mystic in Ingram, which more than 700 girls were attending when floodwaters arrived. Twenty-seven campers and counselors, including the camp’s director, lost their lives.
Ruskan is credited with helping to save 169 campers.
“It’s been an emotional roller coaster,” Ruskan said after the rescue mission.
“Just all of them were distraught,” added flight mechanic Seth Reeves, talking to KENS 5 last summer. “These girls were watching their loved ones — unfortunately, some of their sisters — being swept away by the currents.”
Ruskan was hailed as an American hero who potentially helped prevent a worse flooding disaster. In the months since, he has been recognized by RodeoHouston as well as in Corpus Christi.
Accompanying Ruskan at the State of the Union was a young girl, Milly Cate, who Trump identified as a flooding survivor—and one of the campers rescued by Ruskan.
“She thought she was going to die,” Trump said. “Milly Cate’s prayers were answered when Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Scott Ruskan descended from a helicopter above; nobody knew where he came from… young guy, but very brave.”
Trump followed up by awarding Ruskan with the League of Merit, an honor bestowed for “exceptionally meritorious conduct.” A military representative could be seen pinning the award on Ruskan during an extended standing ovation.
