The team deployed around 7 a.m. Friday from Corpus Christi, about 200 miles south of where the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, Texas, had risen from about 3 feet to nearly 30 feet. Floodwaters in the area had swept through and battered several youth camps on the river banks — including Camp Mystic, the summer camp where they were headed.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Scott Ruskan, 26, a helicopter crew member, braved the dangerous waters to rescue dozens, according to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. “Scott Ruskin [sic] is an American hero. His selfless courage embodies the spirit and mission of the U.S. Coast Guard,” Noem wrote on Facebook.