From the Gulf Coast ( CNN ) -- I love animals and I love the outdoors . The Gulf of Mexico and the coastline that surrounds it is a special place to me and millions of other Americans . Right now there are more than 40,000 people working to save it in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon disaster . They 're trying to plug the well , save the wildlife and clean up the oil . Seeing the oil and the action up close is one thing . Getting your hands dirty and feeling the enormity of the job is another . I now understand what it takes . Of course , the big difference between me and them is they do it every day . All day . Sometimes all night . Without complaint . These are the heroes doing their part to save the Gulf of Mexico . When the spill happened I assumed all you needed was a few skimmers to surround the slick and suck up the oil . How naïve I am . One thing I 've learned reporting in this oil disaster : Nothing is as easy as it seems it should be . My embed on the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Elm showed me the dirty , slippery and agonizingly slow process of skimming weathered Gulf sweet crude . It 's a nasty business . Searching for , rescuing , rehabilitating and releasing oiled wildlife is also a process that requires agility , patience and , most of all , a gentle touch . My embed with the U.S . Fish and Wildlife Service had me based on a barge in the middle of the marsh . I followed fellow animal lovers on a hunt for oiled wildlife . The rescued birds were brought to the International Bird Rescue Research Center in Buras , Louisiana , where they 're cleaned , given medical care and nursed back to health . I got to hand feed a sick baby pelican -- an emotional moment words ca n't describe -- followed by transporting rehabilitated birds to Texas , where we released them into an oil-free wildlife refuge . Another emotion-filled spiritual rush . Cleaning the beach seems easy . Well , it 's not -- especially in 100-degree blazing sun and relentless humidity . I took the required hazmat training course and suited up for a full day of tar ball pickin ' fun . OK , it was n't really fun -- but it made decent TV . `` Rescue '' wraps up on the lighter side with an appreciation for the guys working the beach dressed in rubber and Tyvek . I had the opportunity to go shoulder-to-shoulder with the men and women out here getting it done , and it 's an experience I 'll never forget . I hope you 'll join me on the journey and tune in to `` Rescue : Saving the Gulf . '' [ Fellow CNNers Tracy Sabo , John Murgatroyd , Kevin Myers , Dominic Swann and Beth English worked behind the camera and sweated it out with smiles every step of the way . Good times . ] .
CNN 's Rob Marciano gives a behind-the-scenes look at his reporting for a CNN special . He spent time on a U.S. Coast Guard cutter as oil was skimmed from the Gulf . Marciano followed fellow animal lovers on a hunt for oiled wildlife , releasing rescued birds . Watch ` (CNN) --