Fort Rucker, Ala. (July 8, 2014) – The Army’s Human Resources Command recently announced that the Army Career and Alumni Program has changed names effective immediately to Soldier for Life Transition Assistance Program.
This change was announced June 20, by Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, to better reflect the new direction of Army transition.
Soldiers should not be confused when they call the formerly named ACAP Center, and hear the voice on the other end of the phone responding by the new name. Likewise, they should not be confused when they receive a memo or email from the newly named agency.
The services are not changing from what they have been since the inception of the Veterans Opportunity to Work Act, which came into effect in November 2011. The mandated VOW Act requirements, timeliness and career readiness standards will also remain the same.
Soldiers need to get into a new mindset of “once a Soldier, always a Soldier.” Beginning Oct. 1, a new piece of Army transition, the Soldier for Life Program, will come into effect and Soldiers will begin to be introduced to transition principles early on, and at set points throughout their military careers.
Currently, most Soldiers wait until near the end of their careers to find out about transition information. The Army feels this is too late. The goal is to have all Soldiers prepared to transition out of the Army and into a great civilian job, regardless of if they stay in the Army three years, or 33 years.
For more information on the subject, call the Fort Rucker Soldier for Life Center — formerly the ACAP Center — at 334-255-2558.
