The Men Who Died on the Deep Water Horizon Oil Rig

Eleven men lost their lives on April 20, 2010 when the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded 50 miles off the Gulf Coast shores. Barely mentioned in media reports, these men had names, hopes, dreams and families. It's important to make sure they are not forgotten as this devastating oil spill continues to threaten wildlife, fragile ecosystems and the livelihoods of residents along the gulf coast. Remember these men and all of the other lives lost as the search for oil continues. Oil is getting harder to find and more expensive to remove from the earth. Say a prayer for each one of these people every time you fill up at the gas station because they likely won't be the last. Think what that fill up has cost in human lives, lost jobs and a way of life that's now threatened. Ecosystems that will take years to recover and endangered wildlife and marine life struggling to survive as crude oil seeps into their environment.

The choices we make as a nation sends a message loud and clear around the world. We are at a crossroads of taking this country into the 21^st century or staying behind in the 20^th century as the rest of the world begins to move to cleaner and more sustainable energy to power their people. The country leading the charge for smarter, cleaner and renewable energy will be ahead of the game. Why should we relinquish that lead to China because we don't want to make hard choices.

The men who died on the Deep Water Horizon oil rig.

Jason Anderson, Bay City, Texas. Jason was a father of two children.

Aaron Donald Burkeen, 37 from Sandtown Community, Mississippi. He was an employee of TransOcean for 10 years. He leaves behind his wife and two children. In one of the local paper accounts of the explosion, Aaron is credited with helping crew mates get to safety, but was unable to get off the rig in time himself. He was a crane operator who had been trained to safely lower crew members to waiting lifeboats in an emergency. He did what was asked of him and gave his life to save others.

Donald Clark, 49 from Newellton, Louisiana. Donald was an assistant driller on the oil rig and is survived by his wife. He was scheduled to leave the Deep Water Horizon the day after the explosion.

Stephen Ray Curtis, 39 from Georgetown, Louisiana. Steve had been employeed in the oil industry for 17 years and worked on the oil rig. He loved spending time with his family and taught his son how to play baseball and hunt. Steve was active in his church and is survived by his wife and two children.

Gordon Lewis Jones, 28 from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. A graduate from LSU where he met his wife. An accomplished golfer who loved to tell jokes. Gordon had a great sense of humor and loved to laugh. He will be remembered for a distinct laugh that bordered on being obnoxious at times, according to friends and family. It's reported by survivors of the rig, Gordon attempted to help fellow workers after the explosion. He is survived by his wife and one son. His pregnant wife is due to give birth to their second son in the next few weeks.

Roy Wyatt Kemp, 27 from Monterey, Louisiana. Like most of his crew mates on the Deep Water Horizon rig, he loved being outside hunting with his dog, Ellie, and fishing. Deeply religious, he was devoted to his church and family. He will be missed by his wife and 3 daughters.

Karl D. Kleppinger Jr., 28 from Natchez, Louisiana. Karl worked for TransOcean for 10 years and counted his co-workers on the Deep Water Horizon rig as his second family. Besides his family, his two loves was cooking a lip smacking BBQ and NASCAR. He proudly served his country in the U.S. Army during Operation Desert Storm. Karl leaves behind his wife and one son.

Keith Blair Manuel, 56 from St. Amant, Louisiana. Keith loved the LSU Tigers so much he had season tickets for football and baseball. Engaged to be married, the couple enjoyed whitewater rafting, working in their garden and traveling. He was a retired farmer who turned to the oil industry to provide a better life for his family. Keith worked as a chemical engineer on the rig and was a father to three daughters.

Dewey Allen Revette, 48 from State Line, Mississippi. He was had been employed by TransOcean for 29 years. He was one of the drillers on the Deep Water Horizon Oil Rig. Husband and father of two daughters.

Shane Michael Roshto, 22 from Liberty, Mississippi. Shane loved what he did and never met a person who was a stranger. He was married and has a three year old son, Blaine, who was the apple of his father's eye. When Shane was home, Blaine followed him everywhere. Shane wrote his wedding date and his son's birthday inside his hard hat so he would have something to remind him how good life was when he was having a bad day.

Adam T. Weise, 24 from Yorktown, Texas. Adam loved being outside playing football, hunting and fishing. The youngest of 4, he was a member of his high school football team and began working on the Deep Water oil rig after graduating from high school in 2005. He was an employee of TransOcean.

Since 2001, there have been 69 workers killed on Gulf Coast Oil rig accidents, 858 fires and 1, 349 injuries.

Names of those missing in Gulf Oil Well Explosion, avoyellestoday.com

Andre Damon, The Victims of the Deepwater Horizon Explosion, World Socialist Website