Charles H. "Charlie" Perry Jr.

PERRY, Jr., Charles H. “Charlie,” 81, of Richmond, went to be with Jesus on Sunday, December 8, 2013. At age 15, (July 27, 1947) he joined Co. A., 1st BN., ‘116th Infantry Regt. 29th Inf. Div. VANG. At age 16 he was discharged & joined the regular army and took basic training at Camp Pickett, Va. Upon completion of basic training he was assigned to the U.S. Constabulary Horse Troop stationed at Schweinfurt, Germany. When the Horse Cavalry was disbanded, he then was assigned to HQ & HQ Co., 14th Armored Cavalry Regt. where he rose through the ranks to become Tank Section Sergeant. Upon completion of his European tour, SFC Perry was assigned to Camp Pickett, Va. where he changed his M.O.S. from Cavalry to Ordinance and was assigned to the 147th E.O.D. (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) Detachment. The detachment was transferred to Fort Monroe, Va. & SFC Perry received a direct commission to 2nd Lt. After basic officer’s training at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD he was assigned as commanding officer of the E.O.D. Unit at Fort Sheridan, Illinois. He was promoted to 1st LT. & shipped to Vietnam where he became an advisor to the Vietnamese Army Ammunition Co. (703 K.D.D.) at NHA Trang, VN. Lt. Perry was then assigned to the E.O.D. Det. at Fort Knox, Ky. and was promoted to CPT. After a three year tour he was assigned to the E.O.D. Det. at Ft. Clayton, Canal Zone (Republic of Panama). Upon completion of his duty in Panama, he was reassigned to the Directorate of Maintenance at Ft. Dix, N.J. where he was promoted to Major. After a short period, he was assigned to Camp Kilmer, N.J. and assumed command of the 5th Echelon (Re-build) facility at Camp Kilmer and Lakehurst Naval Air Station, N.J. After completing his assignment he was re-assigned to the 15th ORD BN (Ammo) in Frankfurt, Germany and served as BN. XO until his retirement, December 1968. Major Perry was 37 years old when he retired with 21 and a half years of service. He and his wife of 59 years, Shirley Gallahan Perry, served in or visited 21 countries and islands during their marriage. In his capacity as an E.O.D. technician, he worked with and taught at the Virginia, Kentucky and Illinois State Police Academies, the Louisville, KY police department, the FBI and Secret Service (President John F. Kennedy’s visit to Central America) and the Chicago Police Department Bomb and Arson squad. He was preceded in death by two infant daughters, Shirley and Sandra; and brother, Thomas Edward Perry, of Bedford, Va. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Shirley (Gallahan); son, Charles H. Perry III, of Plant City, Fla.; daughter, Victoria Perry Held, of Clearwater, Fla.; four grandchildren, Jason, Kyle, Bridget and Brianna; and two siblings, Carolyn Faye Fisher, of Vinton, Va., Lydia Sue Dinwiddie Woods, of Bedford, Va. The family will receive friends from 1-5 p.m. on Thursday, December 12, 2013 at Nelsen Funeral Home, 4650 S. Laburnum Avenue Richmond, Va 23231, where a funeral service will be held on Friday, December 13, 2013 at 10:30 a.m. in the chapel. Interment with military honors will follow at Hampton National Cemetery at 2:00 p.m. Online condolences may be made at www.nelsenrichmond.com.