First victims of Deepwater Horizon must not be forgotten

How quickly the mainstream media seems to have forgotten that 11 lives were lost and 17 workers were injured in the Deepwater Horizon explosion April 20. Of course, the focus on the oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico deserves as much coverage as possible but this story echoes the traditional short shrift given to the direct victims of maritime accidents.

Several years ago, when a ship ran aground off the Aleutian Islands, the lead of one story focused upon the potential threat to the environment from leaking oil. Only at the end of the story was it reported that six persons had lost their lives.

Somehow, loss of life at sea has always been diminished—probably unintentionally—into W. H. Dana-like lore. Maybe that comes from the offshore world being “just over the horizon” in the mind of the general land-lubbing public and more difficult to relate to on a personal level than tragedies on the road or in the sky.

Could you imagine a joyous musical about the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion comparable to the “Watch the Titanic Sink Nightly” review that ran on the Las Vegas Strip for years?

President Obama gave a moving and well deserved eulogy for the 29 victims of the West Virginia mine disaster less than a month after it happened. Where is the memorial for the Deepwater Horizon victims?