By Adam Leon Guerrero for Just Thinking Aloud, Kandit News & Views
Many on Guam have heard about the push to bring a Veterans Affairs Regional Office to our island. Some might ask: Why now? Why Guam? And does it really matter? The answer is simple: our veterans deserve better.
For too long, those who served have had to navigate a federal system that feels distant—both literally and figuratively. Veterans on Guam must rely on a VA office in Honolulu, over 3,800 miles away. For veterans in Palau or the Marshall Islands, the challenges are even greater. Many pay out of pocket to travel for care, often bringing family members because they cannot travel alone. Many cannot afford the trip at all. Even those who do face delays, medication issues, and limited virtual-only options for essential needs like mental health care or prosthetics. This is not how a grateful nation honors its heroes.
But change is within reach.
Guam Delegate James Moylan has proposed relocating the VA Regional Office from Manila to Guam as Manila’s authorization nears expiration. Guam is strategically located and already supports the Northern Marianas and the Freely Associated States. This move is not about cutting services in the Philippines—it’s about expanding and strengthening access for veterans throughout the Pacific using the same budget and staff.
Guam Senator Telo Taitague and others have called for establishing a VA regional office here to ease local veterans’ burdens. A recent government report confirms the significant barriers veterans face accessing benefits.
If nothing is done and the Manila office closes, claims will default to Hawaii—creating longer delays and more hardship.
This isn’t just a policy decision. It’s a moral one.
Our island answers the call of duty, serving at the highest rates per capita. Our families have sacrificed, and our veterans continue to suffer. If we can station military bases here, we can station VA services here too. If our people are willing to die for this country, the country should be willing to care for them—right here at home.
Let this be the moment we stand together and say: Enough is enough. Bring the VA Regional Office to Guam. Not tomorrow. Not someday. Now.
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Adam Leon Guerrero is a resident of Barrigada
