Military may join fight to contain Gulf oil slick

Defense Department offered to help contain the massive growing oil slick from a deadly rig explosion that threatens the shoreline of four Gulf states. BP and the Coast Guard have already mounted what the London-based company calls the largest oil spill containment operation in history, involving dozens of ships and aircraft. They are struggling to control the slick from the leaking well 5,000 feet under the sea off Louisiana's coast, which is spilling five times more oil than previously estimated. This could and will cause serious environmental damage to coastal wildlife refuges, beaches and estuaries in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. They are saying that they will accept help from anyone at this point just to help it get cleared up before the damage spreads.