Gulf Oil Spill Likely to Kill Oil Rig Jobs, Too

It has been one month since BP's Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig erupted into a cloud of explosive smoke and fire, killing 11 crew members, and sending a thick deluge of oil into the Gulf off the coast of Louisiana.

America has been watching as this disaster slowly unfolds and claims the lives of fish and wildlife -- and threatens to ultimately change the livelihoods for many Southerners who make a living working these oil rigs. "A lot of these offshore workers come from Mississippi; they are just kids, but they are learning to become men. There is no drinking or carousing. Everyone's counting on you and all you want to do is drill a good well," said Mickey Murphy*, a seasoned rig worker. "It's a good job for people, you can earn a solid, decent living."