Colonel (Retired) Eddy G. L. Charles Sr. is currently the Senior Army Instructor (SAI) for the Virgin Islands’ newest JROTC Program, St. Croix Educational Complex High School's Barracuda Battalion (30 June 2019), which he started as an NDCC in August 2015. Before that, he grew the Ivanna Eudora Kean High School’s (Mighty Rays JROTC Battalion) on St. Thomas from 179 to 312 cadets and four Instructors from August 2009 to August 2015. The latter is the first JROTC Program in the Territory to make it to the National Championship of JROTC's Annual Junior Leadership & Academic Bowl (JLAB) in Washington, DC in June 2013 (One of 24 teams from the U.S Army’s 1,731 JROTC programs). The most recent accomplishment under his directorship was the JROTC Barracuda Battalion earning the status of Honor Unit with Distinction (HUD) and The Gold Star as of 30 March 2023. He retires as a JROTC Senior Army Instructor on 31 AUG 2023.

Prior to his employment in the JROTC Program, Colonel Charles completed an illustrious 37 1/2-year active military career highlighting three senior Joint assignments, the last of which was as the Division Chief for Anti-Terrorism and Force Protection in the Operations and Logistics Directorate of US Africa Command (USAFRICOM) at Kelly Barracks in Stuttgart, Germany. This was during AFRICOM's DOD validation phase up to October 2008. He served on active duty deployed to Kabul Afghanistan, in Operation Enduring Freedom of the Global War on Terror, supporting the HHC, 218th Brigade Combat Team of South Carolina, Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF) Phoenix VI, from May 2007 through June 2008. While there, he held duties and responsibilities as Senior Mentor and Director of the Senior Command and Staff Course (SCSC), the emerging National Defense College of Afghanistan, under the direction and support of Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan (CSTC-A).

From 1 JAN 2005 to 23 FEB 2007, then Brigadier General Charles, also a career National Guardsman, was the 11th person to serve at the top position in the Virgin Islands National Guard as ‘The Adjutant General' of the U.S. Virgin Islands, reaching the territorial rank of Major General (MG-VI). He carried simultaneous duties as Executive Director of the Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency (VITEMA) and Homeland Security Advisor to the Governor. During that period, he made two General Officer visits to his Virgin Islands National Guard soldiers in Afghanistan (2005) and Iraq (2006). From JAN 2002 to DEC 2004, he held another dual-headed Cabinet level position in the U.S. Virgin Islands Government as Drug Policy Advisor (Drug Czar) to Governor Turnbull and Director of the Law Enforcement Planning Commission (LEPC), also serving as Secretary of the LEPC Advisory Board. Charles has been affiliated with the Executive Board membership of the Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands High Intensity Drug Trafficking Agency (HIDTA) since May 1996, representing three Virgin Islands Adjutants General, himself as Drug Czar for three years, and again as the Adjutant General himself. He has been a charter member of the Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands Anti-Terrorism Task Force and Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), and Chairman of both the V.I. Homeland Security Council and the V.I.'s Emergency Management Council.
Col Charles is also a U.S. Army Vietnam era veteran, with enlisted service in Europe as a French Linguist and Finance Specialist with the U.S. Army Elements at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Belgium, and the 106th Finance Section serving the US European Command (EUCOM) Headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany (1972-1974).
A Bicentennial Citizen, he has been a member of the Virgin Islands National Guard since July 1976. He was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in April 1977 upon graduating from the Infantry Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Ft. Benning, Georgia. In April 1998, he joined Ambassador Terrence Todman as the 2nd Virgin Islander presently, to be inducted into the OCS Hall-of-Fame at the U.S. Army Infantry School on Ft. Benning, Georgia.

Colonel Charles is a graduate of the Military Police Officer Basic & Advance Courses; the Nuclear Biological Chemical (NBC) Officer Course, the Command and General Staff College, National Security Course, Battalion Pre-Command Course, Counter Drug Managers' Course, DOD's Senior Leadership Equal Opportunity Seminar at the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute; Georgetown University's Government Affairs Institute's Congressional Operations Course; the American Management Association's Executive Strategic Planning Course; the Inter-American Defense College of the Organization of American States (OAS) on Ft. McNair in Washington, DC. He completed several resident graduate courses with the colleges of the National Defense University including the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (ICAF), the National War College (NWC), and the National Intelligence College (NIC). He also has several graduate credits in International Relations with Troy State University. He is a graduate of the July 2005 Brigadier General Training Conference at Ft. Leavenworth, KS and a participant in the Nov 2005 Adjutant General National Security Seminar (AGNSS) at the U.S. Army War College. For his role in Homeland Defense and Homeland Security, he completed both military and civilian courses including Homeland Security Grant Management and Financial Management; Levels I through IV Anti-Terrorism Courses for Senior Military Officers; Incident Command System, Preventive Response to Suicide Bombing Incidents and several First Responder Courses. Nationally, he served a tour as South East Regional Representative of the Army National Guard's National EO/EEO Committee; he also served on the Homeland Security Committee of the Adjutant Generals Association of the United States with active membership on the Border Security Subcommittee of the National Governor's Association Policy Academy.
Colonel Charles holds other qualifications as Basic Parachutist, French Linguist, Congressional Liaison and Strategic Planner. He has held a variety of military positions including MP Platoon Leader and Company Commander; Military Academy Commandant, State Training Officer, Battalion Commander, Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans, Operations, Training and Military Support; Senior Counter Drug Coordinator, Chief of Staff, Deputy Commander of the Joint Force Headquarters - Virgin Islands; Assistant Adjutant General, and Adjutant General of the Virgin Islands.

His military decorations include the Legion of Merit, The Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal (w/ 7 Oak Leaf Clusters, National Defense Service Medal w/ Star Device, Humanitarian Service Medal w/1st Bronze Service Star, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with Bronze Hour Glass and ‘M' Device, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal w/1 OLC; Afghanistan Campaign Medal, NATO Service Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon w/1 OLC; Army Service Ribbon, Reserve Component Overseas Deployment Training Ribbon; The VI Distinguish Service Medal, VI Meritorious Service Medal, VI Commendation Medal, V.I. Long & Faithful Service Medal; V.I. Emergency Service Ribbon; American Legion Meritorious Service Award, Basic Parachutist Badge, the Cold War Certificate, and the French Commemorative Medal,
Colonel (Retired) Eddy G.L. Charles, Sr. is on the alumni of and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), a Graduate Diploma from the Inter-American Defense College, and a Master of Science Degree (Cum Laude) in Criminal Justice (Global Issues) from Kaplan University's Graduate School of Criminal Justice, a Bachelors Degree in Ministry and a Masters Degree in Theology.

In retirement, he holds the Virgin Islands State rank of Major General. He is a Gospel singer and soloist.
Col Charles is married to Peturna Laura Richardson. He has seven children, Gerry Jr., Nicole, Renee, Chezni, Germaine, Ashtin and Jaime, and 12 grandchildren and one great-granddaughter born on Ft. Riley, KS.