Overview

• Ruskin served as the only ground triage coordinator at Camp Mystic near Kerrville during his first active mission
• His coordination helped rescue 165 people swept away by flash floods along the Guadalupe River
• A stalled storm on July 4 unleashed a 26-foot wall of water along the Guadalupe River, cutting off camps and communities
• The confirmed death toll has risen to 51 with over 20 people still missing as Coast Guard, National Guard and DPS helicopters sustain nonstop air rescues
• Coast Guard rescue swimmers undergo a yearlong training pipeline that includes EMT certification and rigorous physical evaluations, with an 80% attrition rate