My letter to the people working to resolve the Deepwater Horizon Oil Leak

I have submitted this to the Deepwater Horizon Response team...

take a moment to consider... and be grateful for those people in your life without whom you would be up a creek without a canoe, paddle, or a cooler.

To All The People Working to Resolve the Oil Leak in the Gulf of Mexico,

I am writing to say thank you for all the time you have already put in, for all of the attempts at solutions you have already tried. I want to let you know, as a private citizen and as an engineer, that I understand and honor all that you continue to do.

I know from personal experience how little recognition engineers and technicians receive when they are doing their regular jobs. I know that the only time most people even see us and know that we exist, is when there is a problem (usually one we didn't create)... and when they do, they want to know why we haven't solved their problem yesterday (forgetting that we were told there "wasn't a budget" to solve that yesterday :) ). I personally know what it is like to have a manager urgently breathing down your neck demanding solutions, and knowing darn well that same manager wouldn't be able to solve the problem without you. And I know how hard it is to create a real solution under those conditions.

I know that all of you care about solving this crisis as quickly as possible, and have spent months focused on this endeavor. I want to thank you for the thoughts of work you've had while doing your laundry, and for every World Cup game you didn't see because you were working. Thank you for every fast-food meal you've eaten at your desk, and for every night you tossed and turned in your bed, wishing that this was all just done with already.

What you are doing right now is much more important than any song written by the Beatles, and you deserve to be lauded by every teenager holding your name up on a sign and wearing your face on a t-shirt, and fainting from the sight of you in honor of your beautiful minds. You deserve to be celebrated for the work you do, every single day.

I want to thank you for your mind. For your heart. For your desire to resolve this crisis. I stand in gratitude for the solution that has yet to happen, and am certain that you have it within you to bring it forward.

I wish for you a management who listens to you and who goes to bat for you; an IT support staff who keeps all your computers and printers functioning; and understanding friends and family who cheer for you in a personal way.

Please take good care of yourselves. Take time to let your brain rest. Get a massage. Innovative solutions come from a brain that has a spare moment to access its creative side.

Thank you for al you have done to try to resolve the oil leak, and thank you for the solution that is on its way. I sincerely appreciate you.

Best Regards,
Kathleen P. Hunter, PE