A four-person rescue team from the U.S. Coast Guard were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal for their actions helping to rescue almost 200 flood victims in Texas this past week.
The members of Rescue 6553, based out of Air Station Corpus Christi, flew into Kerr County, shortly after a massive downpour caused much of the area to flood. For their actions, pilot Lt. Ian Hopper and rescue swimmer Petty Officer 3rd Class Scott Ruska received the Distinguished Flying Cross. The award is given for “heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight.” Meanwhile helicopter co-pilot Lt. Blair Ogujiofor and flight mechanic Petty Officer 3rd Class Seth Reeves each received the Air Medal for their actions.
At least 129 people died as a result of the flooding over the 4th of July weekend. Quick and intense rainfall caused the Guadalupe River to swell over its banks, rising 26 feet. It quickly flooded the basin in the area, with Kerr County the most impacted part of the state. State and local agencies, as well as the National Guard and Coast Guard, were mobilized to respond to the floods and rescue those impacted.
The Rescue 6553 team was called into action, sent 150 miles inland. There were challenges from the start, according to the Coast Guard. Reeves spotted a major malfunction on their helicopter before they took off, working quickly to get a second one prepared for launch. They boarded MH-65E Dolphin helicopter and went towards Kerrville, guiding Army helicopters that would help with medical evacuations. Weather was still bad and conditions were so tricky that it took three attempts to get to their destination. At one point visuals were so poor Hopper had to fly the helicopter in relying solely on his instruments to navigate the route. Eventually they arrived, with Ruskan going on the ground to triage the people at Camp Mystic, a girls summer camp that was heavily damaged in the flooding. Over the course of three hours, the Coast Guard helicopter and other aircraft arrived to evacuate nearly 200 people. Rescue 6553 directly evacuated 18 people.
It wasn’t just a challenge getting to the camp, coordinating an evacuation plan once conditions were fully understood took additional work. According to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, who presented the aircrew with the awards on Friday, July 11, Ogujiofor then helped guide a dozen additional helicopters in the area, avoiding conflicts or collisions to safely get people to safety.
“In the face of devastating floods in Texas, this Coast Guard aircrew’s courageous actions saved lives and reaffirmed our vital role in protecting American communities,” Adm. Kevin Lunday, acting commandant of U.S. Coast Guard, said in a release by the service.
While the helicopters ferried people out of the danger, on the ground Ruskan found himself coordinating the dozens of campers and counselors in need of help. Over three hours, he triaged them all, carefully counting 165 people who he helped load up in the helicopters to ensure all got out okay.
In emailed comments to Task & Purpose earlier this week, Ruskan said that he relied on his training as a rescue swimmer for the moment. He called the kids at Camp Mystic the “real heroes” for staying strong during the crisis.
“I had about 200 people, kids mostly, all scared, terrified, cold, and having the worst day of their life,” he said. “I just kind of needed to triage them and get them to a higher level of care.”
Task & Purpose asked the Coast Guard about why only some of Rescue 6553 received the Distinguished Flying Cross and not the whole crew. A spokesperson declined any additional comment. In the evacuation from Kabul in 2021, for instance, entire U.S. Air Force crews received the Distinguished Flying Cross for their actions in the massive airlift.
Search and rescue operations continue in Texas in the wake of the floods, with dozens still unaccounted for.
CORRECTION: (7/14/2025); An earlier version of this article incorrectly said that the helicopter used as a HC-65E. It was an MH-65 Dolphin.
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