Georgetown County welcomes Paige Sawyer as new Veterans Services Officer

Contact:
Jackie Broach, Public Information Officer
Phone: (843) 545-3164
E-mail: jbroach@gtcounty.org
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
Georgetown County welcomes Paige Sawyer as new Veterans Services Officer
 
GEORGETOWN, S.C. – Georgetown County has a new advocate for its veteran community. Longtime Georgetown resident and Army veteran Paige Sawyer has stepped into the role of Veterans Services Officer, bringing with him decades of community involvement and a deep passion for serving those who served our nation.
Sawyer is a familiar face to many in the local veterans community. He is an active member of American Legion Post 114 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6444, and an honorary member of the Lowcountry Warbirds. He’s also involved with the Georgetown County 250 Committee and serves as chairman of the Francis Marion Interpretive Center at the Georgetown County Museum.
A native South Carolinian, Sawyer moved to Georgetown in 1972 after completing his military service and has spent more than 50 years contributing to the community in a variety of roles.
“I’ve always been a military-minded person,” Sawyer said. “Even though I didn’t make the military a lifelong career, my heart has always been in it. With this position, if I can help assist and educate veterans or their families, I see that as part of my service to the community.”
Sawyer served in the Army from 1968 to 1972, including two tours in Vietnam as part of the Army Security Agency, a military intelligence branch known in Vietnam as “Radio Research.” After leaving the Army, he worked at the Georgetown Times before he and his wife, Susan, launched a photography studio, which they operated for 51 years. He has also worked with several local tour companies, and today continues to operate Old Georgetown Walking Tours.
While he is still completing state-required training for his new role, Sawyer has already begun working to make the county Veterans Services Office at Lafayette Circle more welcoming and efficient for local veterans and their families. He has updated the office’s webpage, refreshed the decor to create a more military-themed, respectful atmosphere, and plans to upgrade the office’s outdated software system to streamline services.
“I want veterans, when they come in, to feel at home,” he said. “I want to be able to answer their questions and help solve their problems. This office serves as a liaison between local veterans and the VA, and I want it to be accessible and an important part of the community.”
Sawyer also hopes to continue and expand outreach efforts such as local veterans claims clinics, which have brought VA representatives from Columbia to Georgetown in recent years to assist with benefits and claims.
Joining Sawyer in the office soon will be newly hired Assistant Veterans Service Officer Patricia Walton, who will help serve the county’s veteran population once she completes her training. She and Sawyer are both scheduled to complete state training on Sept. 18.
“Just bear with me as I get started,” Sawyer said. “But I promise I will do everything I can to serve our veterans and their families well.”