This is the story of a first mission that turned a rookie into a hero. A young U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Texas was thrown into a crisis just days after finishing their training. When massive floods hit,

Celebrate the bravery of local Coast Guardsmen recognized for heroic flood rescues at the Salute to the Military event in Corpus Christi.

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.

He stayed behind alone to comfort terrified campers while floodwaters rose around them. This Coast Guard hero was on his first mission.

Coast Guard's response to Texas flash floods. The Coast Guard and a unified command responded to the affected areas after it received a report on Friday, July 4, at around 5:57 a.m. from the Texas ...

The story comes amid Trump’s call to dismantle FEMA, leaving it up to the states to bear more of a responsibility for disaster response. CNN reported that within the agency, there are fears over its ability to respond as hurricane and wildfire season approaches.