by Ken Quintanilla

Guam - WestCare Pacific Islands is continuing its village outreach efforts in order to get an accurate count of Guam's veteran population. According to WestCare Pacific's vice president Sarah Thomas Nededog while there are several services and programs veterans can take advantage of, many don't.

Addressing the Mayors Council of Guam she said that after speaking with the Veterans Affairs Office Regional Center in Hawaii recently, the latest figures show that participation for Guam is 1,800 out of over 8,000 veterans based on the 2010 U.S. Census.

"So that tells you that we have a whole lot of veterans out there who are eligible for services and are not getting connected to services, and we are particularly concerned with veterans who need assistance adjusting back into the community, getting back into their families, getting back into their jobs and educational opportunities, but have a difficult time even accessing or applying," she said.

She adds more than a handful of mayors have already shown interest in getting involved in the village outreach and hopes more will participate.