True American Heroes

Every summer, Ron, a stay-at-home-dad from Illinois, guides tours along the Mississippi River in his big yellow airboat. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Ron heard that rescue teams in New Orleans needed airboats to navigate the flooded streets. Captain Ron knew what he had to do.

Ron took the money his family was saving for a new roof, packed his bags and drove 983 miles to New Orleans with his airboat.

"I got right down to the water the very first day," he says. "The water was so high, we were pulling ourselves along the power lines in the neighborhoods just to get the boat going."

Thanks to Captain Ron's airboat and his selfless sacrifice, more than 55 people and animals were rescued from the floods.