I should note I'd correct you on the capitalization of "Perl" (or "perl" depending on whether or not you're referring to the implementation), but since I write COBOL as cobol, it would be a little too hypocritical, even for me :).

I've worked in mainframe COBOL programming applications for years.

Why not just use cobolscript then? It's the logical progression. I quote from their page:

CobolScript® is a COBOL based scripting language. Anyone who already knows COBOL can easily use CobolScript to build server-side scripts with virtually no learning curve. CobolScript has familar COBOL syntax and is ideal for data conversion, batch interfaces, and server-side scripting. CobolScript is cross-platform compatible, with versions for the following operating systems:...

Who needs Perl right?

If you do decide to use Perl, after you learn the basics (reading through learning perl should suffice) and do a couple searches on The CPAN what you're asking would probably take you 1-2 hours. But who wants that?