Not by Accident: Scott Ruskin and Heroes -Episode25

Scott Ruskin is a hero of the devastating and tragic central Texas floods of July 2025. His story is inspiring but somewhat unexpected. He helped save 165 victims in his first mission as a US Coast Guard rescue swimmer. He volunteered to get out of the rescue heicopter so there would be more room for the crew to load survivors they would dramaticall rescue in the flood waters. He found himself as the only rescuer to organize, triage, administer first aid, protect and coordinate the evacuation of scores of children from Camp Mystic. In the chaos and hell of an unfathomable disaster, Petty Officer Ruskin was salvation to scores of children and adults.
We need heros in our society. Sometimes the work they do is not hanging from a cable connected to a helicopter. Sometimes they swim through raging waters and sometimes they run into burning buildings. But more often heroes quietly do less dramatic work or simply keep committments or consistently show up and bear heavy burdens that others walk away from. Scott Ruskin was unknown before this event. He was not hitting home runs or donating millions to a charity, on the front page of newspapers or a social media influencer. He was quitely and thanklessly preparing, training and learning first aid and protocols for disaster response. He, like teachers, parents and many obscure people was doing the hard work so that they might be ready to make a difference. We have a mistaken idea that heroes wear capes, are super-human, win the super bowl or world cup for their teams. No, some of the most amazing super people quietly do a hard, thankless job, or fight through chronic pain or are kind even when others are mean to them. You can be a super hero but it demaands having character and doing some hard things, preparing yourself and making good decisions.
Story told by Kagan Dunlap (Instragram site)