AWARDED DFC: 1
CONFLICT/SPACE FLIGHT/EVENT:  Rescue
MODEL:  MH-65E

Citation:  1.) The President of the United States takes great pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Lieutenant Ian M. Hopper, United States Coast Guard. Lieutenant Hopper is cited for extraordinary heroism while participating in aerial flight as Aircraft Commander aboard Coast Guard MH-65E helicopter 6553. On 04 July 2025, Camp Mystic in Kerrville, Texas was devastated by a catastrophic flash flood as the Guadalupe River rose an astonishing 26 feet in just 45 minutes, sweeping away cabins and stranding over 200 campers. First to launch, Lieutenant Hopper battled extreme precipitation, near-zero visibility, and treacherous terrain, ultimately losing visual reference and narrowly avoiding disaster before executing a harrowing instrument flight to San Antonio International Airport. Undeterred, he made two more attempts to reach Camp Mystic, each thwarted by unrelenting storm cells and necessitating fuel diversions. Finally, after six grueling hours and multiple rerouted flight plans, Lieutenant Hopper, leveraging the MH-65E's radar, valiantly led a formation of two medevac helicopters through visually obscured, congested airspace to the ravaged campground. Navigating through treacherous conditions, he executed four perilous sorties, pushing the aircraft to its performance limits. Lieutenant Hopper's actions, aeronautical skill, and heroism were instrumental in the rescue of 15 lives and evacuation of 165 others in coordination with federal and state partners. Lieutenant Hopper's courage, judgment, and devotion to duty in the face of hazardous flying conditions are more heartily commended and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Coast Guard.