Soldiers from the Alabama National Guard build and maintain miles of HESCO barriers to protect Dauphin Island, Ala., beaches from the BP oil spill on July 23, 2010. More than 1,600 National Guardmembers are supporting Operation Deepwater Horizon in four Gulf states. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill) (Released)

By Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill
National Guard Bureau

MOBILE, Ala. – They stand in the Gulf of Mexico, water waist-high, heat topping 100-degrees, building barriers against oil.

They fly above the waves, directing “vessels of opportunity” to the slick.

They hustle among more than 1,200 people from dozens of agencies coordinating the response to a manmade disaster.

They go door-to-door telling residents and businesses about the British Petroleum claims process.

National Guard Soldiers and Airmen are supporting Operation Deepwater Horizon, the Coast Guard-led effort to corral the oil spill that followed the April 20 explosion and fire on the oil rig for which the operation is named.

By Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill
National Guard Bureau

ARLINGTON, Va. – National Guard Citizen-Soldiers and -Airmen are on the ground in Louisiana, Alabama and Florida supporting civilian authorities tackling the Deepwater Horizon Incident response.

“We’re dealing with a massive and potentially unprecedented environmental disaster,” President Barack Obama said during a Gulf Coast visit on Sunday. “The oil that is still leaking from the well could seriously damage the economy and the environment of our Gulf states and it could extend for a long time. It could jeopardize the livelihoods of thousands of Americans who call this place home.”