John Dustin Ledford: A Brother’s Story Of Unimaginable Loss After The Devastating Kerrville Flood

Team Never Quit

Marcus Luttrell

Personal Journals, Health & Fitness, Education, Mental Health, Society & Culture, Self-improvement

4.8 • 6K Ratings

🗓️ 17 December 2025

⏱️ 153 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This episode includes sensitive content and may be difficult for some listeners. Listener discretion is advised.

On July 4th, a devastating flood swept through Kerrville, Texas, forever altering countless lives. Among those impacted was John Dustin Ledford, whose world was turned upside down as he began a desperate search for his sister, brother-in-law, and young nephew in the chaotic aftermath of the storm.
In this heartbreaking and deeply human episode of the Team Never Quit Podcast, Marcus and Melanie meet with Dustin, who courageously shares the raw details of those terrifying hours and days — the uncertainty, the fear, and the relentless determination to find his family amid overwhelming destruction. His story offers a firsthand look at what it’s like when celebration turns to catastrophe in an instant, and how faith, grit, and community become lifelines when hope feels fragile.
This conversation is not just about loss and tragedy — it’s about love, perseverance, and the unbreakable bonds of family. Dustin’s account reminds us of the real people behind the headlines and the lasting emotional impact disasters leave behind long after the waters recede.
In this episode, we discuss:
• The events leading up to the July 4th Kerrville flood
• The moment Dustin realized his family was missing
• The emotional toll of searching amid chaos and uncertainty
• The role of community, first responders, and strangers during tragedy
• How grief, hope, and resilience collide in moments of crisis

This is a powerful, sobering episode that honors those affected by the Kerrville flood and gives voice to the families who continue to carry its weight.

In this episode you will hear:
• Went to the police academy fulltime while working full time at the fire department. Got into arson investigating. (20:18)
• [His sister, Brother-In-Law, and nephew] were in a camper on their truck in Ingram right next to the river. (43:24)
• Starting at 45:12 John begins to share the heart-wrenching details of his search for his sister, brother-in-law, and nephew. The story continues through the end of the episode describing the conditions, the myriad of people and departments participating in the search for friends, family, and loved ones.
• I don’t even know if they knew it was raining because it was hot and they had the generator going. It’s loud. (45:12)
• When I got there, it was very chaotic. A lot of parents down the parking lot. (53:13)
• It was about midnight on July 4th when I called to report them missing. (60:20)
• One of the ladies [at the church] said “we’re out of air mattresses, but I’ve got a spot for you. She takes me upstairs and gives me a prayer room with a couch (63:31)
• Sitting at these tables with these dads – I can’t even begin to fathom. (67:30)
• Starting at 45:12 John begins to share the heart-wrenching details of his search for his sister, brother-in-law, and nephew. The story continues through the end of the episode describing the conditions, the myriad of people and departments participating in the search for friends, family, and loved ones.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	The Team Never Quit podcast is proudly sponsored by Tractor Supply.
0:04.5	Tractor Supply offers some amazing special discounts on hero holidays for their hometown heroes.
0:10.5	If you want to learn more about this, go check them out at Tractor Supply.com slash hometown heroes.
0:17.8	You never know what the person across the table from is going through.
0:21.2	And by you sharing something, you may help them.
0:25.7	All right, everybody, welcome back to the TNQ never quit.
0:38.2	All right, everybody, welcome back to the TNQ podcast.
0:42.0	I'm your host, Marcus Latrell.
0:44.0	Every week, it's my job to fire you up to ignite the legend inside of you
0:48.1	and to push you to your greatness.
0:50.0	Join me every week as I take you into my briefing room
0:52.7	with some of the most hard charging people on the planet.
0:55.4	They're going to show you how to embrace the suck of life, teach you the values of working your ass off, and charge through whatever life throws at you.
1:02.5	This is the Team Never Quit podcast.
1:06.0	Don't buckle up, Buttercup.
1:16.2	What's up, everybody?
1:19.4	Welcome back to another episode of the Team Never Quit podcast.
1:22.6	As always, thank you guys so much for listening and watching.
1:29.2	And please don't forget to hit that like and subscribe button wherever you're seeing the show. So before we get into our really special guest let's kick it off with our weekly patreon question and this
1:35.3	week we've got what is a song that never fails to pump you up really any 90 90s, like, hip-hoppy kind of songs, all of them.
1:50.4	There's not one that as soon as it starts, I just start dancing.
1:58.5	I'd have to go with maybe like five-finger death punch.
	...

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