Perry Taylor served in the United States Navy from 1978 to 1998, earning his
VFW eligibility by serving in Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. During his
service, he was part of the ship's company aboard three different aircraft carriers:
the USS Independence (CV-62), USS Kennedy (CV-67), and USS Nimitz (CVN-68). He
completed one Mediterranean Cruise and two Western Pacific cruises and served a

Perry is a member of Whitehead-Muzzall Post 7392 in Oak Harbor, where he
maintains his Gold Legacy Life membership. He has held various elected and
appointed positions at the Post, District, and Department levels, culminating in his
election as the VFW Department of Washington State Commander. Under his
leadership, the Post received two All-State and two All-American awards. Perry also
served as District 15 Commander for two years and was honored with All-State
In addition to his VFW involvement, Perry is a member of the Military Order of
the Cootie at Chuck-a-nut Pup Tent #18 in Bellingham and a Life member of the VFW
Perry and his wife, Elaine, reside in Oak Harbor and have two children and
two grandchildren.