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FF Veterans Walk of Flags pays tribute to founding member

Fergus Falls Daily Journal - 7/10/2017

July 10--With the passing of Perrie Valentine Sheldon (1921-2017) Wednesday, members of the iconic Fergus Falls Veterans Walk of Flags banded together to pay tribute to one of their founding members Saturday by decorating Veterans Memorial Park with 380 American flags. Each flag is in honor of a military veteran, living or deceased and includes all branches of the U.S. armed forces. Fittingly at the Veterans Memorial Park location for the display of flags, Sheldon's flag is number one, and his was the first flag put into its holder during Saturday's homage to him.

Mary Ellen Solley is the secretary on the board of directors for the Veterans Walk of Flags and one of its original members.

"He (Perrie) was a wonderful man," Solley said. "I think everyone's honored to be here to help. How many small towns can say that they do this?"

After a brief pause Solley said, "None."

Sheldon, a military veteran himself, served in World War II as part of the Army's Airborne Infantry and had 32 days of combat in the Ardennes and Rhine areas of Germany. As World War II came to a close, Sheldon was transferred to Berlin during the occupation where he was a service company clerk.

Sheldon found inspiration for the Fergus Falls Veterans Walk of Flags in 1999, while visiting Sheldon, Iowa -- to see the flag his son Milo and daughter-in-law Kathy purchased for him in his honor -- for that town's Veterans Walk of Flags. Sheldon then brought the idea back to Fergus Falls. In 2002, with funding from the Fergus Falls Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion and Disabled American Veterans group, Sheldon and fellow World War II Navy veteran Stan Morrill and Korean War Army veteran Bert Hoffman -- and with the help of other vets -- they held the first Fergus Falls Veterans Walk of Flags at Veterans Memorial Park with the placement of 101 American flags.

Curt Bergerson is in his seventh year as president of the board of directors for the Veterans Walk of Flags.

"Perrie was always there to help as long as he could," Bergerson said. "He got to the point where he couldn't help. You'd see him every time we put the flags up in his car and he'd try to come out and put at least one flag up. He loved it -- he did a good job doing it."

Currently, the Fergus Falls Veterans Walk of Flags has 1,875 flags that they distribute throughout the city in five locations, using four trailers on at least 10 special occasions (sometimes more).

Tony Rendz, a military veteran who affectionately refers to himself as a "grunt" for the Veterans Walk of Flags, said he knew Sheldon his whole life.

"He (Perrie) was a great man," Rendz said. "He was a World War II paratrooper -- the Greatest Generation -- I can't even fathom what those guys did and it's an honor for me to be here, to be doing this for him today."

Douglas MacArthur once said, "Old soldiers never die; they just fade away."

With the tradition that Perrie helped found and through the Veterans Walk of Flags, Perrie's memory will transcend fading away; remaining indelible for years to come.

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(c)2017 the Fergus Falls Daily Journal (Fergus Falls, Minn.)

Visit the Fergus Falls Daily Journal (Fergus Falls, Minn.) at www.fergusfallsjournal.com

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