Rear Admiral Eldridge assumed his present duties on July 16, 2003. Prior to this assignment, he served as the Assistant Commandant for Governmental and Public Affairs at CG HW from March 2001 through June 1003. He is a 1974 graduate of the Coast Guard Academy where he earned a BSE degree in Ocean Engineering. He also hold BSE and MSE Degrees in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan.
Commissioned in 1974, his first assignment was Operations Officer aboard the USCGC Buttonwood homeported in Honolulu. In June 1976, he reported to the University of Michigan for graduate studies. After completing his graduate work, he reported to Coast Guard Headquarters in May 1978 as a staff chemical engineer where he became a specialist in the safe transportation of hazardous materials by vessel. He went back to sea in 1982, serving as Executive Officer aboard the USCGC Papaw in Charleston, SC. From 1984 to 1088, he was the Port Safety Officer at the Captain of the Port Office in New York, where he dealt with all aspects of port safety and marine environmental protection. During this tour, he distinguished himself as one of the primary planners and implementers of the Coast Guard's coordination efforts associated with the Statue of Liberty Centennial celebration and accompanying Operation Sail even in 1986. He returned to sea duty in 1988 serving as Commanding Officer of the USCGC Buttonwood, then homeported in Galveston, TX. In 1990, he reported to the Marine Safety Center in Washington, D.C. where he supervised a staff of naval architects and chemical engineers. In June 1991, he reported to CG Headquarters as Hazardous Materials Branch Chief. Most of his work was international in nature, leading numerous U.S. delegations to meetings of the International Maritime Organization in London. In 1995, he became the first commanding officer of the newly formed Houston-Galveston Marine Safety Office, which resulted from the merger of Marine Safety Offices Houston and Galveston. In 1996, he assumed operational control of the Houston Vessel Traffic Service as well. In 1998, he assumed operational control of the Houston Vessel Traffic Serve as well. In 1998, he was transferred to New Orleans, assuming the duties of Chief of Operations for the Eighth District, where he was responsible for the oversight of the Search & Rescue, Maritime Law Enforcement, Boating Safety and Aids to Navigation missions. This included the oversight of all air and surface assets managed by this 26-state district. In June of 1999, he fleeted up to be Chief of Staff for the Eighth Coast Guard District.
RADM Eldridge's personal decorations include two Legions of Merit, two Meritorious Service Medals, three Commendation Medals with operational device, the Army Commendation Medal, three Achievement Medals with operational device, and the Commandant's Letter of Commendation Ribbon. He wears the permanent Cutterman's Pin, the Marine Safety Device, and the Gold Scuba Diver pin. He was honored as the Coast Guard Federal Engineer of the Year in 1994. In 1997, he was named Houston's Federal Executive of the Year. In 1998, he was named Houston's Maritime Man of the Year by the Houston Propeller Club, the first Coast Guard officer to be so honored. He is also a 1997 recipient of the Vice President's Hammer Award for reinventing government for his pioneering work in Marine Vapor Control Systems.
Admiral Eldridge is married and has three children.