Colonel Eric Adams retired from the United States Marine Corps after honorably serving 27 years on Active-Duty in October 2023.  His final assignment was as Chief of Staff, Marine Corps Installations-East and Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune.  Colonel Adams is a native of Michigan and is a 1996 graduate of Lake Superior State University. Upon graduation he attended Officer Candidates School and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant. After completion of The Basic School, he received his MOS training at the Motor Transportation Officers Course.

Second Lieutenant Adams was assigned as the Motor Transportation Officer for 1st Battalion, 8th Marines and later Eight Marine Regiment. In 1999 First Lieutenant Adams reported to the Lansing Military Entrance Processing Station where he served as the Testing and Operations Officer. During this tour, Captain Adams completed Amphibious Warfare School and earned his Master of Arts in Organizational Management from Spring Arbor University. 

In 2002, Captain Adams was ordered to the 2nd Force Service Support Group where he deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as the 2nd Force Service Support Group (Forward) Assistant Operations Officer. Upon his return, he served as the Logistics Officer for 2nd Transportation Support Battalion. He then deployed to Iraq’s North Babil Province as the Transportation Support Detachment Officer-in-Charge with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Marine Expeditionary Unit Service Support Group-24. 

Upon his return, Captain Adams was assigned as the Site Commander for Detachment Alpha, Marine Wing Support Squadron 472 in Wyoming, Pennsylvania in 2005. During this tour he was promoted to Major and deployed to Honduras in support of Operation New Horizons. Major Adams then attended the US Army Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas where he was awarded the Army Additional Skill Identifier of 3H, Joint Planner. In July 2009 he was ordered to United States Africa Command in Stuttgart, Germany where he served as a Future Operations Planner, the Executive Officer to the J-3, and as Deputy Division Chief for the Deployment and Distribution Operations Center. During this tour he was selected to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and was designated a Joint Qualified Officer. LtCol Adams then served as the Operations Officer, Assistant Chief of Staff G-4, 2d Marine Division, where he deployed as an Individual Augment to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Kabul, Afghanistan as a military Liaison to the US Embassy. 

In June 2012 Lieutenant Colonel Adams assumed command of the 2nd Marine Raider Support Battalion, Marine Forces Special Operations Command. Upon successful completion of his command tour Lieutenant Colonel Adams completed the Advanced Strategic Leadership Studies Program at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas where he earned a Master of Military Art and Science and completed a one-year assignment as a Seminar Leader at the US Army School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS). 

Following Top Level School, Lieutenant Colonel Adams served as the Marine Forces Central Command Coordination Element-Kuwait (MCE-K) Officer-in-Charge where he was selected for promotion to his current rank. Following this assignment, Colonel Adams served as the Assistant Chief of Staff G4 for the 2d Marine Expeditionary Brigade where he operationally deployed in support of the establishment of Task Force-66 in Italy and with Task Force North East in support of COVID-19 response in Massachusetts.  In June 2020, Colonel Adams assumed command of Marine Corps Combat Service Support Schools aboard historic Camp Johnson, the Home of the Montford Point Marines.  

Colonel Adams has been awarded the Legion of Merit with gold star, the Bronze Star Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with two gold stars, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with two Gold Stars and the Combat Distinguishing Device for Valor, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, the Air Force Achievement Medal, and the Combat Action Ribbon. 

Colonel Adams is currently serving as Deputy District Ranger for the Seminole Ranger Station on the Ocala National Forest, National Forests in Florida, US Forest Service, US Department of Agriculture.  

Colonel Adams is married to the former Alishia Hansen of Greenville, Michigan and they have two children, Lauren Kaye and Nicholas.