REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala.--She was a dedicated Soldier who voluntarily deployed to Afghanistan, a hard-working lawyer, a prosecutor, a devoted wife and an avid runner.
She will be missed by everyone who knew her.
The Redstone community said goodbye to Capt. Laura Matejik Eberts, a former chief of military justice at AMCOM, in a memorial service Thursday at Bicentennial Chapel. Eberts, 28, drowned March 21 while vacationing in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
"We are gathered here today to pause and remember the life of Capt. Laura Eberts," Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Leon Kircher told the more than 100 attendees.
The speakers included Col. Craig Meredith, Redstone's staff judge advocate and the Aviation and Missile Command's deputy chief counsel; Maj. Carla Peters, the deputy staff judge advocate; and Capt. Derek Eichholz, trial counsel in the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate.
"We all remember her for her intelligence, her discipline and her dedication," Meredith said. "And for me it was pure joy being her boss, her supervisor and her friend."
Eberts reported to Redstone Arsenal in August 2008 and worked as a legal assistance attorney, special assistant U.S. attorney and the chief of justice. She deployed to Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, where she served as a recorder/legal adviser for detainee review boards.
Upon re-deploying from Afghanistan, she and her husband, 1st Lt. Robert Eberts, went on their long-awaited honeymoon to Argentina. On March 21, while touring to see the Iguazu waterfalls, her touring boat, carrying 10 tourists, flipped over and she died.
"Laura, we will miss you forever," Peters, who was her supervisor at Redstone, said. "But we will never ever forget you."
"She was the consummate professional," Eichholz said. "Through foresight, planning and hard work, she was always prepared."
Eichholz said Eberts cared about her mission and the people she served. "She strived to give a voice to those who otherwise would not have one," he said.
He called her the consummate Soldier, the consummate friend and someone who liked to have fun.
A native of Mechanicsville, Pa., Eberts was a member of Redstone's Ten-Miler team from 2008-09 and she had finished marathons. She ran seven miles with renowned bicyclist Lance Armstrong when he was visiting troops in Afghanistan.
Survivors include her husband; her parents, Joseph and Karen Matejik; and two sisters, Air Force Capt. Christina Matejik and 2nd Lt. Jessica Wilkinson of the Army Veterinarian Corps.
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