ILL 1986 Problem 64

Let $(a_n)_{n\in \mathbb N}$ be the sequence of integers defined recursively by $a_1 = a_2 = 1, a_{n+2} = 7a_{n+1} - a_n - 2$ for $n \geq 1$ . Prove that $a_n$ is a perfect square for every $n.$