US Army battalion offers GTA VI time off for reenlisting
Soldiers who reenlist with an engineer battalion at Fort Stewart get a four-day pass around the GTA VI launch. The flyer turned out to be real, and at least 20 soldiers have already signed.
It seems Grand Theft Auto VI is now a retention tool in the US Army. The 9th Engineer Battalion at Fort Stewart, Georgia, advertised a "special reenlistment incentive" on a flyer: stay in, and you get a four-day pass timed to the release of GTA VI.
The flyer was first spotted by the "US Army WTF! Moments" Instagram page and was reportedly signed by the battalion's commanding officer, Lt. Col. Ryan D. Hodgson. According to the flyer, the incentive is meant to promote retention, boost morale and reward the continued dedication of the battalion's soldiers.
Plenty of people smelled a fake at first, and fair enough: when IGN first reported it, neither the battalion nor the US Army had confirmed the flyer was real. Kotaku did confirm that Hodgson is a real officer who took command of the Fort Stewart battalion in July 2026. Over on Reddit, Army veterans said the Army has run similar campaigns before to boost numbers, while people who know their way around military memos picked apart the flyer's formatting.
Since then it has been confirmed on the record. 3rd Infantry Division Lt. Col. Angel Tomko told CBS News:
The idea was to have a unique incentives program that connects to what soldiers are interested in. The command team, in conjunction with the career counselor, wanted to get soldiers excited to reenlist.
Insider Gaming, citing Variety, also reports that a division representative confirmed the incentive.
Here are the details:
- Eligible soldiers who reenlist between August 1 and November 14 qualify.
- You have to sign up for at least two and up to six years to get the four days off.
- The exact pass dates are worked out with each soldier's chain of command.
- About 130 soldiers are eligible, and according to CBS News at least 20 from the 3rd Infantry Division's 9th Brigade Engineer Battalion have already reenlisted.
Take the dates with some care: IGN's first report, going by the flyer, mentions a November 20-23 window, while the later reports give November 19 as GTA VI's launch date. So the pass would apparently fall in the days right after launch, but the actual schedule is up to the command.
Two to six years of service for four days in Vice City. Would you sign? Either way, it's 94 more sleeps until launch. ;)
