As a result of DOD budget
cutbacks, we are forced to reduce the size of the force. Under CRAP, older
soldiers will go on early retirement, thus permitting the retention of
lower paid soldiers who represent the Army's future.
A program to phase out older
soldiers via retirement by the end of the current fiscal year will be placed
in effect. the program will be known as Retire Active Personnel Early (RAPE).
Employees who are RAPEd will
be given the opportunity to seek civilian employment within the Department
of the Army. To that end, RAPEd soldiers will be required to fill out numerous
DA Forms (currently in the development, test, and evaluation stage) detailing
their education and experience. This phase does not guarantee retired soldiers
a civil service position; it does, however, guarantee that the soldier's
unique capabilities will be considered before being bypassed in the hiring
process. This phase of CRAP is known as Survey of Capabilities of Retired
Warriors (SCREW). Soldiers who have been RAPEd and SCREWed may request
review of their situation by higher authority. This is the Study by Higher
Authority Following Termination (SHAFT) phase.
CRAP policy dictates that a
soldier may be RAPEd once, SCREWed twice, but may be SHAFTed as many times
as the Army leadership deems appropriate.
If a soldier follows the above
procedures, he or she will be entitled to get Half Earnings for Retired
Personnel Early Severance (HERPES). As HERPES is considered a benefit payment,
any soldier who gets HERPES will no longer be RAPEd or SCREWed by the Army.
The Army leadership wishes
to assure younger soldiers who remain on active duty that the Army will
continue its policy of ensuring that soldiers are well trained through
our Special High Intensity Training (SHIT) program. The Army takes pride
in the amount of SHIT our soldiers receive and can boast that it gives
its soldiers more SHIT than any other service.