Seth Reeves was only supposed to be at U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas, for two weeks.

He was slated to work from July 1 to July 15 as part of the Aviation Training Center’s flight mechanic exchange program, which allows guardsmen to stand duty at operational air stations. He had become a third-class aviation maintenance technician just over one year ago, in March 2024.

But on July 4, disaster struck, and Reeves — along with three other Coast Guardsmen from Coast Guard Rescue 6553 — found themselves in a treacherous search-and-rescue mission to save hundreds of stranded girls from Camp Mystic in Kerr County, Texas, after historic flooding tore through the Central Texas region.

The Guadalupe River swelled to a record-setting 37 feet, decimating the all-girls Christian

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