Camp Supply became Camp Rucker after a tragic flash flood in White River Canyon on July 11, 1878. Lieutenants John A. “Tony” Rucker and Austin Henely, with their Indian Scouts, had been camped along a river below Camp Supply and were riding back toward the camp when a rainstorm forced them to stop at a nearby tavern. As the stream rose and threatened Army supplies on the opposite bank, both officers rode across the river to save them. During one crossing, Henely's horse stumbled and he was swept away. Rucker followed in an attempt to save his friend and fellow officer, but he drowned in what was called a desperately heroic but fruitless effort; Henely also died. Lieutenant H.F. Winchester reported that Rucker's body was recovered a mile and a half away after three hours of searching by troops and Indians, that efforts at resuscitation through the night failed, and that Henely's body was then recovered as well. On October 1, 1878, an order changed the camp's name to Camp J.A. Rucker in tribute to Rucker's brave last heroic effort to save his brother officer and commander and to preserve the memory of his brilliant career as a young and gallant soldier. Both Rucker and Henely had attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, though only Henely graduated from there. Both were commissioned as second lieutenants in 1872, and Henely was promoted to first lieutenant in 1876. Often described as popular, energetic, and brave, both were buried at Fort Bowie; after the fort closed in 1894, their bodies were moved to Presidio, San Francisco, California, and Rucker's body was later reinterred in Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.