Army offers GTA VI pass for reenlistment
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
A U.S. Army battalion in Georgia offers a 4-day pass to play GTA VI for reenlisting.
The incentive targets 130 eligible soldiers, 20 already claimed, to boost retention.
Background
The U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia, is offering a four-day pass to play Grand Theft Auto VI as a reenlistment incentive for soldiers in the 9th Brigade Engineer Battalion. The memo, first shared on social media, was authenticated by Military.com and confirmed by Army officials. The program is localized to one battalion, not service-wide, and aims to meet fiscal year 2027 reenlistment goals.
How it unfolded
- Aug 17, 2026A memo offering a 4-day pass to play GTA VI for reenlisting is shared on the 'US Army WTF! Moments' Instagram page and spreads online.
- Aug 18, 2026Military.com authenticates the memo; Lt. Col. Angel Tomko confirms the program is limited to the 9th Brigade Engineer Battalion.
- Aug 19, 2026CBS News reports 20 soldiers have already chosen the incentive; the offer is available for reenlistment contracts signed between Aug 1 and Nov 14, 2026.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Lt. Col. Angel Tomko: 'The idea was to have a unique incentives program that connects to what soldiers are interested in.'
Still unverified
The memo was initially circulated online and authenticated by Military.com; exact details of the pass dates (Nov 20-23) are from the memo and not independently confirmed by all sources.