Hope for more and more in the future

Chicago, IL — When John Fliszar died last year in Chicago, his husband, Mark Ketterson, contacted the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) to fulfill his final wishes.

In a moving article, Sun-Times colmunist Neil Steinberg explains that Fliszar wanted his ashes interred at the USNA cemetery.

Ketterson described the moment the USNA asked him about his relationship to Fliszar.

"They were always polite, but there was this moment of hesitation," Ketterson told the Sun-Times. "They said they're going to need something in writing from a blood relative. They asked, ‘Are you listed on the death certificate?' ‘Do you have a marriage license?' "

Once Ketterson provided them with the marriage certificate, he said they were wonderful.

Ketterson was also named as "husband" in Fliszar's obituary in the USNA's alumni magazine.

At the memorial, the honor guard offered to present him with the flag from the coffin, but he told the Sun-Times that he deferred to Fliszar's mother.

"[Fliszar's] next of kin was treated with the same dignity and respect afforded to the next of kin of all USNA grads who desire interment at the Columbarium," USNA Jennifer Erickson spokesperson told the Sun-Times. "We didn't do anything differently."

Great Start!!!!