The Force Behind the Work: Telling the Story of Blue Grass Army Chemical Activity- Col. Rodney McCutcheon

Photo By MATTHEW SHARMAN | This commemorative series highlights the stories of the Blue Grass Chemical Activity workforce with personal accounts, reflections, and experiences with the sunsetting organization and its contribution to destroying the chemical weapons stockpile. This special article showcases Colonel Rodney McCutcheon, the current Pueblo Chemical Destruction site commander, and the former BGCA commander. He has had the honor of commanding the last two chemical destruction sites, and his legacy is unlike any other, as is his truly unique perspective. The Blue Grass Chemical Activity supported the delivery of chemical munitions to the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant for destruction. It was also responsible for safely and securely storing the chemical weapons stockpile at Blue Grass Army Depot. BGCAPP destroyed the last chemical weapon in storage at BGCA on July 7, 2023. On August 9, 2023, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons verified that no chemical munitions remain in storage at BGCA.  

RICHMOND, KENTUCKY, UNITED STATES

10.02.2023

Story by MATTHEW SHARMAN 

Army Chemical Materials Activity

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.

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