Sycamore woman becomes newly commissioned U.S Navy officer

SYCAMORE — A Sycamore native became a newly commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy during a ceremony Saturday afternoon. Eva Pahl graduated from Bridges Community Academy in 2015, studied business finance at Ohio State University and became an OSU graduate during a virtual commencement ceremony Sunday. Pahl had gone to college to become a doctor, spent her first year at OSU undecided, found out about Reserve Officers' Training Corps and joined on a whim in 2016. She said she "hit the ground running" and fell in love with it as soon as she joined. She said she's met some of the greatest people of her life through the program. Pahl said it was tough initially, and most of her peers in ROTC had family in the military and knew a lot about it. "I didn't," she said. A virtual commissioning ceremony occurred Saturday morning, and those being commissioned were encouraged to have their own private ceremonies. Retired Brigadier Gen. Mark Scheid, who served in the Army, commissioned Pahl during Saturday's ceremony in the Sycamore Event Center parking lot. He called it a "special"and "serious" day. Ned Gregg, who retired as a sergeant in the U.S. Army, gave Pahl her first salute. Pahl now is an ensign in the U.S. Navy. Sycamore Volunteer Fire & Rescue vehicles and motorcyclists paraded through the center's parking lot at the conclusion of the ceremony. Pahl said she got her orders last week and is to go to a basic division officer course in San Diego before reporting to the ship to which she'll be attached. She said the minimum time she'll be in the Navy is five years. Pahl said Saturday's ceremony was more than she could imagine. She said she was upset she couldn't commission with her class, and her mother went above and beyond to make Saturday amazing. What happened Saturday wasn't what Pahl expected months ago. "I was expecting to commission with my class," she said.