When Senator John McCain is laid to rest on Sunday, he'll be reunited with his best friend, Omaha native Admiral Chuck Larson. The pair were lifelong friends, and now in death, McCain and Larson will be side-by-side at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.
Larson's nephew, Omaha City Councilman Pete Festersen, spoke with 6 News about the two being buried next to each other. "They were best friends and wanted to be together at the place where they first met."
Larson passed away in 2014 fighting Leukemia.
Festersen says McCain and Larson met while at the naval academy, and two two friends were quite the duo. "They used to get in trouble together at the Naval Academy, skipping after hours or going over the wall together when you're not supposed to do that, and lots of funny stories about him almost getting my uncle in trouble."
Both Larson and McCain greatly influenced Festersen to be active in the public sphere. "It was very influential on my life, and then, through him, to be exposed to Senator McCain was a great honor. He's a statesman and a national hero,."
In their death, Festersen said both men are still teaching what it truly means to serve the American people. "They always put their country first. It was never about ideology or partisanship. It was about serving the country and doing the right thing."