FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska - The Army Career and Alumni Program provides training, counseling, resources and job assistance to service members leaving active duty in pursuit of a new life in the civilian world. Whether they were Soldiers for 20 plus years and retiring or just finishing up a four-year tour, moving from a military lifestyle into the civilian world is a big change. Being well-prepared is an important step in the transitioning of Soldiers and military families for the changes that lie ahead.

Carlos Garcia, the Transitions Services manager and Retirement Services officer for Fort Wainwright, and the ACAP office personnel want to make sure that every Soldier's move to civilian life is as positive an experience as possible.

Garcia and the specialists of the ACAP office offer counseling to Soldiers and their spouses in making these transition decisions and integrating into the civilian work force. The ACAP's intention is to usher the service member and family into the community as self-reliant and contributing citizens, adding their skills and work value to the economy.

"Our main goal is to send back a better citizen into the workforce," Garcia said. The Army standard time set for allowing Soldiers to attend available ACAP classes starts 12 months out from the separation date.

ACAP provides classes and briefings on resume-writing, job-hunting, interviewing skills and starting a small business. Tailoring a list of each unit's Soldiers coming up on their estimated time of separation, Garcia's office sends a roster of ETS-eligible Soldiers to their commanders, informing them of the Soldiers' status and allowing the commanders to work with Soldiers' time requirements.

Normally the ETS roster extends out 12 months, but during the latest deployment schedule, Garcia says, the timetable has now been extended out an additional six months to cover a full 18 months prior. This is to allow Soldiers returning from their deployments to have ample time to prepare and not be subjected to a quick decision soon after returning from overseas. It's an example of the importance the Army is putting on preparing its service members for new careers in the civilian sector.

Beyond the welfare of the Soldiers and their families, the additional care placed on getting ready for separation is felt in cost. Unemployment is expensive to the Army. During the first Quarter of the 2011 fiscal year, the Army spent $139,860,751.00 to the Unemployment Compensation for ex-service members (UCX) program, providing benefits for eligible ex-military personnel. This program is administered by individual states working as agents of the federal government to provide unemployment compensation for those separated service members unable to find employment. The amount of the benefits varies from state to state, allowing for different levels of support to match the economy of the area. The bottom line is, if Soldiers are sent off without the proper tools to become employed, the potential cost of unemployment comes out of the Department of the Army's budget. Thankfully ACAP works.

Success stories and knowing that efforts have a positive effect on Soldiers finding jobs is something the office takes great pride in and the most profound statement of this can be found displayed at the ACAP office on the Success Stories board. The board is covered with letters from separated Soldiers who felt sending thanks back to the ACAP office was important to share.

"The most important part of my successful transition was the support from the unit during my ETS...without the time spent working with ACAP and local community members, I would not have secured a job." Written and sent in by Justin Adams, a recently separated specialist who found a job in Shelburne, Vt., in the IT services field.

"With the help of one-on-one resume assistance, I was able to create a great resume on USA Jobs...resulted in my being hired by the Veterans Association in WY."

Many other letters posted praise the support of the units, briefings and personnel help received.

"...tips on how to apply for positions, classes on resume preparation were great!!!...I had a great paying job in 3 weeks." Bob Williams, radar technician, Ramstein, Germany.

Success is wonderful but it takes some work, starting with the pre-separation briefing which the ACAP office sets up and is mandatory for all eligible members. A follow-up, computer-based question program is accomplished for collecting information on individual skill sets, work preferences and job interests.

After that, a counselor works with a Soldier, one-on-one, to help determine the direction to take in obtaining a new career.

Rilene Ann is one of two ACAP Counselors who work with Soldiers and families after the computer-generated portion of pre-separation questionnaire is completed, to find out what they really need to transition them and their families.

"I genuinely enjoy assisting veterans and their families," Ann said. Being a veteran herself, she tries to make them feel at ease and guides them towards their new careers. If resumes are hard for them, she helps in their completion and gives encouragement along the way. Ann said, "They have the rest of their life to live," so helping Soldiers set new goals, creating positive outlooks and assisting them to discard past discouragements, is her goal. She also encourages spouses to contact ACAP for services. Spouses can accompany their Soldiers to discuss their plans, participate in the workshops and gather information.

Classes are conducted and scheduled throughout the month, and feature various speakers from different areas of the government and private organizations.

Classes include the Transition/Job Assistance Workshop, offered monthly and run by the Alaska State Department of Labor Veterans Employment representatives. It provides information on how to search for jobs, understand job-networking practices, develop a resume, practice interviewing skills learn what to look for in benefits and how to negotiate a salary.

Classes are conducted on how to apply for federal jobs with the Department of Army and other government agencies through use of the Army Civilian Personnel Online and USA Jobs websites. These classes show how to complete government-style resumes, search federal job databases and how to place applications out for consideration. Army CPOL can be found at www.cpol.army.mil and USA Jobs at www.usajobs.gov

Resume Writing is a must, especially for those who may not have written one since just after high school. This two-hour class teaches the basic principles of writing a resume and is offered monthly by ACAP Staff.

For those who may already have an idea for a business of their own, there is a class facilitated by a representative of the Small Business Association of Fairbanks which takes place monthly. This class provides tips on planning, marketing, record keeping, taxes, insurance and financing your own business.

Veterans Service representatives located on Fort Wainwright provide an overview of benefits and entitlements for all military who have served, whether retired or separated.

The pre-retirement briefing offers information on retirement benefits for those one to two years away from their retirement date. Conducted by Retirement Services Officer, Garcia, the class is to inform, educate and ready the future retiree on what to expect and prepare for as they start a new life after completing their military career.

Over 60 hours total of classes, briefings and workshops are available for Soldiers and their spouses in transition and at minimum there are 12 months in which to attend them all.

ACAP helps you in making best choices for yourself towards another career, financially providing for your family and providing the Army with positive representatives in the community. Call 353-2099, to schedule for counseling and to register for the pre-retirement briefing or find out more at www.acap.army.mil/acap_centers/Centers/CenterDetailView.cfm'caller=family&site_id=5