Perry A. Sager's Obituary
Perry A. Sager, Colonel (Retired) Retired U.S. Army Colonel Perry A. Sager, 96, passed away peacefully, August 3, 2014, in Lakewood, WA. He was born in Williamsburg VA on April 20, 1918 to Milton and Dorothy Sager where he lived till the age of 17. Perry joined the Virginia National Guard after his mother died 1936. He moved up the ranks in the National Guard from Private to Sergeant, and was eventually selected to go to Officer Candidate School (OCS). He graduated a Second Lieutenant in 1941. WWII broke out later that year, and he was sent to Europe in 1943. He was part of the Normandy Invasion, going in on D plus 3, three days after D day. Perry was promoted to First Lieutenant in 1949. He met and married Mary T. Donohue of Tacoma on Jan 29, 1949. Perry went to Korea with the 23rd Regiment of the 2nd Infantry division. Perry was promoted to Captain in 1950. The 23rd Regiment, along with a French battalion, was ordered to hold the town of Chipyong-Ni, Korea, by General Ridgeway. The ensuing battle of Chipyong-Ni occurred on Feb 13-15, 1951. Chipyong-Ni was called the Gettysburg of the Korean War. Capt. Perry Sager was awarded the Silver Star, one of Perry's men who was killed in action was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Perry was promoted to Major in 1951; he left for the Korean war as a 1LT and came home thirteen months later as a Major. Perry and Mary had their first child, Gail, born in Oct 1952, in Sacramento, CA. Their second child, Randy, was born in October 1954 in Tacoma, WA. The family sailed for Germany in 1955, and returned to the United States in 1958 after a three-year tour. Perry was promoted to LTC in 1959, and their third child Kim was born August 1959 in Salinas, CA. In 1966 Perry and family headed to Ft Amador in the Panama Canal Zone. Perry was the G-2; he was promoted to full Colonel later that year. In 1967 to 1968 the family relocated to Ft Buchanan in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Col Sager was the Inspector General (IG) on this tour. In 1968-1969 the family headed back to California; Perry was stationed at the Presidio in San Francisco with the 6th Army HQ. In 1970-1972 Perry and the family returned to Ft Lewis and Mary's home city of Tacoma, WA. In 1972 Col Perry Sager retired from the military after 36 years of service. Also in 1972, Perry embarked on a new career as a residential Real Estate agent with Gig Harbor Realtors. He stayed with the real estate business until he finally retired at 77 in 1995. In his retirement years he loved to travel with Mary to Reno and play the craps table. He loved the challenge of the numbers, and was able to keep up with the game into his 90's. He also had a lifelong love for horse racing, another passion he shared with Mary at many outings at Long Acres. Most days Perry could be found tending his garden, where he always had the best vegetables and the most beautiful roses. Survivors include his wife of 65 years, Mary T. Sager, and children Gail Sager of Monterey, CA, and Randy Sager of Newport Coast, CA. Kim Sager, his youngest daughter, of Tacoma, WA, passed away in 1986. Colonel Sager will be honored and laid to rest during a full military funeral with honors at Tahoma National Cemetery August 8, 2014 at 11:00 am. His decorations and awards include Silver Star with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Bronze Star with Five Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster, Legion of Merit, American Defense Service Medal, and Meritorious Service Medal. He also had the Presidential Unit Citation from the Korean War.
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Published in News Tribune (Tacoma) on Aug. 6, 2014
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