What began as a routine two-week assignment at U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Corpus Christi quickly turned into a mission of unimaginable gravity for Aviation Maintenance Technician Third Class Seth Reeves.
Scheduled to serve from July 1 to July 15, 2025, as part of the Aviation Training Center’s flight mechanic exchange program, Reeves—barely a year into his role—soon found himself in the eye of one of the deadliest natural disasters to hit Central Texas in recent history.
On July 4, as rain lashed the Texas Hill Country, the Guadalupe River surged to a record-breaking 37 feet. Among the hardest hit was Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp in Kerr County.
The raging floodwaters tore through the camp, sweeping away cabins, counselors, and campers. The storm claimed the lives of at least 136 people in the region, including 27 from Camp Mystic alone.
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The situation called for immediate action. Reeves and three other Coast Guardsmen aboard Rescue 6553—a team including pilot Lt. Ian Hopper, co-pilot Lt. Blair Ogujiofor, and rescue swimmer Petty Officer 3rd Class Scott Ruskan—were dispatched to join local and state authorities in the urgent rescue mission.
The Coast Guard would go on to assist in saving 230 individuals from the flood zone. Reeves, for his “actions and aeronautical skill,” was awarded the Air Medal by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on July 11 and promoted to second class that same day.
A Flight into the Unknown
Before sunrise, the team received a briefing about major flooding near Kerrville. Details were scarce. “My initial thought was there might be three to four families, or maybe an RV park,” Reeves recalled.
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The mission began with complications. A high-frequency radio malfunction in their MH-65E Dolphin helicopter forced them to switch aircraft.
In a calculated move to extend flight time, the crew also ditched a life raft to shed 20 pounds—buying an extra five to ten minutes of fuel.
As they headed inland, the weather deteriorated. Cloud ceilings dropped to as low as 200 feet.
Using visual flight rules (VFR), they were forced to fly dangerously close to the ground, navigating through the hills and valleys of the Hill Country—an environment drastically different from flat Corpus Christi.
Soon, the terrain forced them above the clouds, where they lost all visual references. “It’s one of the most dangerous things that could possibly happen,” Reeves said.
“It’s not a situation anybody wants to be in.” Forced to switch to instrument flight rules (IFR), they diverted to San Antonio to refuel and regroup.
The Second Attempt
From San Antonio, the crew planned a new approach, this time targeting Kerrville-Kerr County Airport.
A hopeful weather shift on radar showed a possible break in the storm. But as they neared the area, conditions remained dire.
“It was kind of a nightmare to try to shoot an approach into there,” Reeves admitted.
They entered a holding pattern 30 nautical miles south of the airport. “If you look at the radar itself... that weather was just sitting over top,” Reeves recalled. After 15 minutes with no change, they abandoned the plan.
Instead, they rerouted to South Texas Regional Airport in Hondo. Flying manually at low altitude, they followed highways like a road map. “We drove the aircraft, like, on a road,” Reeves said. They eventually made it to Hondo after two and a half hours in the air.
There, they regrouped with the Army National Guard’s Alamo Area Search and Rescue and received their final brief: the mission was now to rescue hundreds of girls stranded at Camp Mystic.
On the Edge of Danger
The team hand-flew their way through valleys and tight corridors of terrain, sometimes descending to just 100 feet. After a grueling four and a half hours of flying, they reached a hilltop airport near Camp Mystic.
With 14 other aircraft buzzing overhead, the cramped airspace was tense. “It’s a super uncomfortable feeling with all these other aircraft in the air,” Reeves said.
Once landed, the true scope of the disaster came into view.
“It’s just hundreds of girls coming out of these cabins, waving their arms,” Reeves said. “That’s when I kind of like, OK, this is not... one or two families at a campground, this is way more severe.”
The girls had been stranded since 1 a.m., separated by a newly formed river bisecting the camp. The Coast Guard crew carefully landed their helicopter on the saturated ground, then began airlifting four girls at a time to safety at Ingram Tom Moore High School.
Ruskan stayed behind to triage the girls alongside camp counselors, determining who needed medical attention first.
Reeves handed out foam hearing protection and buckled frightened campers into harnesses, trying to provide calm amid chaos.
As the helicopter lifted off with each group, those still waiting waved goodbye from the ground.
Inside the aircraft, many girls were too stunned to respond. Reeves gently prompted them: “Hey, wave to your friends.” Slowly, the girls would raise their hands and wave back.
Courage in the Face of Tragedy
By the time they were relieved after 8.2 hours of flight, Rescue 6553 had played a vital role in saving lives. But the weight of the mission lingered.
“It’s hard, especially with young kids, to not feel emotional,” Reeves said.
“These girls have seen peers of theirs, counselors and sisters... be swept away by the raging waters of the river and it’s all over their face.”
Still, amid the devastation, Reeves saw strength.
“Everyone wants to say that, you know, these girls were helpless,” he said. “In some parts they definitely were, but a lot of parts, they stayed super strong.”
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