Tony Perez Honored with Military Banner

Coltonite Tony Perez was honored by his friends, family and the city with his very own Military Banner Installation Ceremony on April 22. Although he was born in San Elizario, Texas, on March 7, 1928, he moved to his now hometown when he was about 10 years old and spent most of his childhood growing up here in Colton. He attended Garfield for his middle school years and attended San Bernardino High School up until his sophomore year. Perez enlisted into the Army on Jan. 31, 1946 and spent nearly half a year until he was honorably discharged on July 16, 1947. He served in the 35th Infantry as a Military Policeman. For many years, Perez worked as a funeral director throughout the Inland Empire but mostly the Colton area. He took his job very seriously, especially when it came to the funerals of fellow veterans. “He wanted to properly honor them by making sure the flags were taken to the cleaners and steamed. If the family wanted the flag folded and displayed in the casket, he would fold it with such pride and respect as if he was performing it in front of an audience,” his granddaughter, Jennifer Rodriguez, shared. “My grandpa was very proud of the fact that he served his country and had a great deal of respect for other veterans and enlisted men and women,” she added. The idea to get him a military banner initially came from his two granddaughters Julie Rocha and Jennifer Rodriguez. “We contacted our cousins and told everyone about it. It became a family thing and everyone contributed,” she said. “It was something that any one of us could have easily done, but we wanted to do it as a family.” In December, just three months shy of his birthday, Perez passed away of natural causes. Rodriguez shared that they would have loved for him to see it. “We were able to get it installed near his house so we were really excited about that,” she added. Perez is the second oldest of his eight siblings. After his passing, there are a total of four sisters still alive and they were all able to attend his banner installation ceremony. “They all looked up to him and admired him. It was such a proud moment for them and the rest of us,” she added. According to Rodriguez, most of the family was able to come out and show their support while honoring Perez. “It was definitely a proud yet emotional day for all of us,” Rodriguez said. “My grandpa was a wonderful, God-loving, faith-filled man. He served his Lord, his family, and his country proudly and without regret.” “We are very thankful for the City of Colton for offering such a special program and for the crew that was with us the day of the unveiling,” said Rodriguez. One of Perez’s interests included gathering pictures of his family and friends whom have served in the military. Rodriguez explained that a few years ago he began to call around, write letters, and ask for pictures of those veterans in their uniforms. This simple interest of his grew into an honorable frame filled with pictures of fellow veterans. He had so many photos that his collage frame reached its capacity. However, Perez found an alternative way to display the rest of the photos: he displayed all of them on his mantle along with an American flag and other military items.