Clinical psychologist Eve Weber had been harboring a desire to join the Navy for a long time. Last November, she finally decided to take the plunge.
"I've been interested in serving my country for about 20 years," said Weber, who is 49 and a resident of Great Falls.
Weber first completed a physical to ensure that she was in good enough health to join the Navy, and she then embarked on a lengthy application process.
"It's a long, long process," she said.
Weber works at Commonwealth Psychological Associates, PLC, a private practice located in McLean, but she is also a clinical consultant to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. In fact, it was here there that she began giving serious thought to joining the Navy.
"I was volunteering in the Child and Adolescent unit, and I found there was a need," said Weber. "So then I had to decide, was I going to do this as a civilian contractor, or do I go on active duty?"
Her long harbored interest in joining the Navy won out, and she decided to truly commit herself to her cause. Weber's husband, Cmdr. David Weber, is a Navy psychiatrist on active duty, and he was thrilled when his wife told him of her plans to join the Navy.
"I think it's fantastic," said David Weber. "About 20 years ago, she thought about going into the Navy in a different capacity, so I think this is just fantastic and I'm extremely proud of her."
Eve Weber first became interested in child psychology after working as a classroom teacher and an assistant principal for 14 years.
"I'm also a cognitive behavioral therapist which is very didactic," she said.
EVE WEBER was sworn in as a United States Navy lieutenant on Friday, July 7, at the Great Falls Freedom Memorial.
"If a person has graduated from schools and is a working professional, a lot of times they will bypass the lower ranks," said Lisa Keding, a public affairs officer at the Naval Recruiting District Richmond headquarters.
Weber's husband swore her in, as two of her work colleagues and her recruiter Lieutenant Maria Alberto stood by.
"I got choked up," said David Weber when the swearing in ceremony was finished.
Eve Weber joked that the last time she had stood next to her husband in an official ceremony, it had been "a very different kind of an oath."
"I'm so happy," she said. "I couldn't have done this without the support of my friends and family."
Weber's next step will be to leave her position at Commonwealth Psychological Associates to complete Officer Indoctrination School.
"It's a 5-6 week school that they attend to learn the basics of coming into the military as an officer," said Keding. "They are basically learning officer etiquette."
Weber will then work at the National Naval Medical Center for one year, and then receive an assigned post. She hopes that she and her husband will be co-located, but there is no guarantee that they will be assigned to the same post.
"It could be anywhere in the world," said Eve Weber.
The couple has two daughters, ages 27 and 28, who live in Texas. David Weber said he now realizes how it feels to know that your spouse can be called to duty at any time.
"The shoe is on a different foot now," he said. "It really is easier to go than to be left behind."