Sobering Account of Gulf Coast Charter Captain Suicide

It’s been a few weeks since Orange Beach Charter Captain William Allen “Rookie” Kruse took his life. There was a natural tendency to assume that it was the oil spill that had driven him to do it, but he didn’t leave a note and details at the beginning were sketchy. Was it really the oil spill or something else? Now Brian Kelly of the Pensacola New Journal has written a compelling and well-researched account which leaves no doubt that yes, it was the oil spill — but more than that it was BP’s pathetic and inane handling of the spill that seems to have gotten under Kruse’s skin and inside his head. This is not an article that will make anyone feel good — quite the opposite, it will evoke outrage. But it’s important reading for anyone trying to understand what is happening to the lives of charter captains all along the Gulf Coast. Read the entire article Also scroll down for a CBS News Video Report Featuring an Interview with William Allen Kruse in the early days of the spill.