Louie G. Rodriguez, right, receives PADner-of-the-month award from then Pueblo Army Depot commander Col. Donald H. Greeley June 1967.

A Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (PCAPP) employee is completing the mission his grandfathers began some sixty years ago.

“I’m excited to work at PCAPP,” said David Rodriguez, ordnance technician. “Both of my grandfathers worked at the Pueblo Chemical Depot, so it’s a family tradition.”

While both of Rodriguez’s grandfathers have passed away, their legacy lives on through their grandson, who said he is proud to contribute to an international initiative.

“This is an experience I never thought I’d have a chance to do,” Rodriguez said. “Knowing my generation is making a safer place for the next generation, makes me feel really good.”

Jose M. Vigil, right, receives a certificate of retirement April 1983.

David’s grandfather Louie G. Rodriguez worked as a warehouseman forklift operator and in transportation at the former Pueblo Army Depot (PAD) from 1950 to 1972. The elder Rodriguez earned recognition for being a safe driver, as well as for leadership roles he held in the community, earning an award called “PADner of the month.”

Jose M. Vigil, Rodriguez’s maternal grandfather, worked at PAD in various positions from 1951 to 1983. Vigil served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and was awarded a Purple Heart.

Rodriguez is a lifetime Pueblo resident who graduated from Centennial High School in 1996. He has worked at PCAPP approximately one year, having worked previously at the local windmill turbine facility, a brick factory and an auto body shop.