Photo By MATTHEW SHARMAN | This commemorative series highlights the stories of the Blue Grass Chemical Activity...... read more read more
Name: Colonel Rodney McCutcheon
Duty Title: Pueblo Chemical Depot Commander
Time at BGCA: 2 years at Blue Grass Chemical Activity (BGCA) from 2018-2020.
Job Duties: Overseeing the direction and mission of BGCA as we started up the support of demilitarization efforts for the first time.
View of BGCA's Mission: BGCA is small but magnificent. They had a responsibility to fulfill for the United States to meet international treaty obligations mandated by the Chemical Weapons Convention. I think of them like an ant. They are tiny but can lift 100 times their weight and do incredible things through teamwork.
Greatest Memory at BGCA: We established Diversity Day during my command at BGCA. Being African American, diversity and inclusion is very important to me. Lieutenant General Leslie Smith was instrumental in getting our initiative started. I look at him as a mentor, and he has this gigantic personality that was just what was needed to establish a diversity day. I knew if we did not do it right, and if we did not have the right personalities involved, then it would not stick. We both really bought into it and became the driving force to where it sticks and does not just go away when one commander switches out. On Diversity Day, you get a chance to share an understanding of how incredible an impact diversity, equity, and inclusion can have on an organization. If you have just one of one thing in an organization, it may be good, but it can only go so far. However, when you have different inputs from many different perspectives and backgrounds, then that is when innovative thinking comes into play. You understand a lot more because you are being presented with stuff you never even thought about, which may expand your view. Different viewpoints can propel a good organization to a great organization because of the all-inclusive culture that has been created, much like what we have here in America.
Favorite Part of Working at BGCA: The People. We had such incredible folks there. I came in with a positive attitude, and they all accepted me, and I accepted them. We moved forward together without any strife or drama. We worked together as a team, that evolved into a family. It was fantastic to have close relationships with folks within the organization, on the depot, and in the community. I enjoyed building relationships with the local community as they really appreciated and cared for us. When we went out into the community for our civic engagement meetings with elected officials, we were extremely well received because we had put in the hard work to build that reputation through the great work we did.
Experience with Chemical Weapons: I am very fortunate to serve a variety of roles in my career. I had been in the Chemical Corps for years at the battalion level, brigade, and multi-branch US Forces experience. I had some great mentors along the way; Tom Closs comes to mind as he helped me better understand security compliance and all the different facets of such a complex topic. Before taking command of BGCA, I was the TRADOC surety officer, a unique and challenging role that helped prepare me for both Blue Grass and Pueblo.
Greatest Accomplishment at BGCA: I will always treasure being one of the leaders who came together and galvanized our organizations to facilitate the beginning of the demilitarization operations in Kentucky. We were on the ground floor to start the transport for the destruction of these chemical weapons. I still have the news clippings from the first day we moved weapons out of those igloos and over to BGCAPP for destruction. Colonel Kurz, Dr. Candace Coyle, and I came together, decided that we would do this, and put things in motion for this historic process.
Amazing Anecdote: Being able to command both BGCA and Pueblo are some of the finest points in my life. I will tell my grandkids about starting a demilitarization process at one location and ending it at another. Only one other commander has led both organizations, so it is quite an honor.
Thriving in Uncertain Times: We handled COVID-19 with a focus on our mission and connectivity, as well as anybody in Joint Munitions Command. Our campaign centered around a slogan of "staying sane while staying safe from COVID-19" We even had folks outside BGCA wanting to emulate and replicate what we did within their organization. Our communication was exceptional during this time despite the physical limitations. For example, I would do a 30-second blurb to the organization daily and a couple minutes weekly to discuss the campaign, progress, and strategies for our workforce and mission. Even though lots of our people were teleworking or working shortened schedules, transparency and visibility were a significant focus for us during this time. We worked hard to "keep the family talking" by continually being present, taking questions, and being upfront and centered digitally.
Plans for the Future: Have fun in the Army and making a positive difference in people’s lives.
| Date Taken: | 10.02.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 10.02.2023 07:25 |
| Story ID: | 454798 |
| Location: | RICHMOND, KENTUCKY, US |
| Web Views: | 126 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, The Force Behind the Work: Telling the Story of Blue Grass Army Chemical Activity- Col. Rodney McCutcheon, by MATTHEW SHARMAN, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
