Army Unit Offers 4-Day Pass to Play GTA VI As Reenlistment Incentive (cbsnews.com)
- Reference: 0185053378
- News link: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/26/08/19/1610230/army-unit-offers-4-day-pass-to-play-gta-vi-as-reenlistment-incentive
- Source link: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/grand-theft-auto-army-reenlistment-bonus/
> Twenty soldiers at Fort Stewart in Georgia in the Army's 9th Brigade Engineering Battalion, part of the 3rd Infantry Division, have already chosen this incentive as part of their reenlistment, an Army spokesperson told CBS News on Wednesday. "The idea was to have a unique incentives program that connects to what Soldiers are interested in," Lt. Col. Angel Tomko, a spokesperson for the 3rd Infantry Division, said in a statement. "The command team, in conjunction with the career counselor, wanted to get soldiers excited to reenlist."
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> [...] The Army memo, which has circulated online, says any soldier who signs a reenlistment contract between Aug. 1, 2026 and Nov. 14 will be authorized for a special four-day pass designated to coincide with "the highly anticipated release of the video game Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA 6)." About 130 soldiers are currently eligible for the incentive, Tomko said. Eligible soldiers must reenlist for a minimum of two years and up to six years.
[1] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/grand-theft-auto-army-reenlistment-bonus/
Re: (Score:1)
Re-enlist and we can swap your life force for [whatever these fucks are actually trying to achieve over there with ItsNotReali monsters]
Re: reenlist! (Score:1)
If in doubt, blame Israel. Itâ(TM)s easier than acknowledging that the American voter chose Donald Trump, or that Iran started the conflict.
Hope Rockstar doesn't miss the release date (Score:5, Insightful)
So, sign up for two years of military service and get authorized leave for 4 days to play a video game? I guess if that really is the deciding factor to enlist, you probably are just the kind of person the army is looking for.
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Applicants for this program must show proof of their "Death Before Dishonor" tattoo they got while on a pass during Basic Training, their marriage certificate to a stripper named Mercedes who was the "One" and still takes half your paycheck and your 29% 8 year car loan on a Ford Mustang or F150. These are the type of candidates they're looking for. A four day pass??
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Hey, be fair. It might also be a Dodge Charger.
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> So, sign up for two years of military service and get authorized leave for 4 days to play a video game? I guess if that really is the deciding factor to enlist, you probably are just the kind of person the army is looking for.
Nah, it's just an added Bennie that costs nothing; they'll still get any other incentives, which, depending on the specialty, can be thousands or tens of thousands of dollars.
What a benefit! (Score:2)
I mean sure, I might die in a pointless war in Iran that wouldn't have been necessary if the same guy who started this war hadn't ripped up the nuclear agreements we had previously with Iran the last time he was in charge, but think about getting to play a video game for FOUR WHOLE DAYS!
But in all seriousness, the main motivation for joining the military continues to be money. So I guess if they were planning to play GTA anyway, that's like extra free money, so maybe it might tip the balance for a few peo
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Mod parent Funny, though "continues to be money" was a bit annoying or something. Or maybe my case is too weird or too ancient? Even worse, it was an open contract with no special incentives. (And none of that insane "Thank you for your service" garbage in those days.)
Re:What a benefit! (Score:4, Insightful)
> Mod parent Funny, though "continues to be money" was a bit annoying or something. Or maybe my case is too weird or too ancient? Even worse, it was an open contract with no special incentives. (And none of that insane "Thank you for your service" garbage in those days.)
It's a statistically correct statement, at least post-1973. When asked what the main consideration for joining was, money was the top answer, and IIRC more than half gave that answer. The military is a steady job and provides other financial-adjacent benefits, such as the G.I. Bill paying for higher education. And when there aren't so many steady jobs out there, that makes it more compelling.
Not saying it's the only reason, just that it is one of the larger influencing factors in how well the military is able to recruit.
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I have negotiated as part of my hiring package some additional time off in my first year for some pre-planed travel, or other event for pretty much every job I have ever taken after high school.
This is really no different. In all seriousness the main motivation for almost anyone taking any job is money. Even if you "love what you do" the vast majority could simply do it (at some scale) as a hobby.
Making this about GTA gets attention, its free advertising for military recruitment. In reality it is essenti
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Reenlisting is tougher since you already got your GI Bill and VA Benefits and such.
On a recent talk show a military guy was saying that DoD was instrumental in nationalizing the student loans under Obama.
They knew infinite money for school would jack up the price of school for everybody but unaffordable college is what drives people to the GI Bill and their recruiting was dragging ass after the last time a President lied us into war in the Middle East over made-up claims of weapons of mass destruction (and
Says a lot that's an "incentive" (Score:2)
If working conditions are so deplorable they make a four day weekend seem worth literally risking death for another two years... Maybe that's not somewhere you want to be working in the first place?
Sure, a get-out-of-brimstone day pass might be nice once in a while, but having a chance to use it in the first place means you're still in hell .
I know what day to launch an attack... (Score:2)
So our military just publicized such that any US opponents know a substantial # of US soliders will either officially or unofficially be out, and we'll be shorthanded, for a 4 day window. Yeah, that won't cause any problems for US.
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Ehh this is a single battalion with about 300-700 members total, with only a fraction of those being up for reenlistment. That's not going to result in a large number of soldiers "officially" out on leave. Any other passes handed out for that timeframe will have a quota informed by the knowledge of how many of these 4-day passes are claimed. Considering they're stateside, they're also probably focused on routine maintenance and training, i.e., predictable workloads and relatively low urgency.
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Yeah TFA says maybe 120 troops are eligible.
This came from the top (Score:2)
This must have come from the top, since Hegseth's view of war looks like a video game.
- All you have to do is blow stuff up.
- When you get 'Game Over', it's all done - no need to plan for anything after that.
- Spouting racist and sexist shit on the group chat is what 'warriors' do.
- Loot and medical supplies just show up, you don't have to actually deliver anything to aircraft carriers on extended deployment.
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How much do you wanna bet that a lot of the people who have enlisted over the last 5-10 years did it because they thought they were awesome at Call Of Duty and now they'll get to play it in real life?
And, how many of them brought their XBox or PlayStation with them on deployment so they have something to do while sitting around waiting for something to happen?
Meanwhile, in the Navy ... (Score:4, Funny)
Sailors on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln get to be NPCs in GTA VI for four days, which is a step-up from current living conditions there.
Wow, that's America for you (Score:2)
Imagine thinking 4 days leave from your job is some kind if incentive. Most of the rest of the world would consider that a reduction in their legally mandated leave.
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> Imagine thinking 4 days leave from your job is some kind if incentive. Most of the rest of the world would consider that a reduction in their legally mandated leave.
Military personnel get 30 days annual leave and can bank up to 60, plus federal holidays. Of course, depending on your unit taking it can be challenging.
is it true the navy will do it (Score:2)
for just a heap of beans?
Coupled with SRB for various specialties.... (Score:3)
gets cash and adds leverage for advantageous leave use
Four days leave atop thirty days normal leave per year plus whatever specialty bonus is basically a tip. Wise troops would delay taking leave until their final enlistment is up so I did. The more I had to carry forward the better.
Not everyone gives a shit about long deployments, self for example. Troops who simply don't care about long deployments (there are more than a few of us!) but do want to accrue leave as leverage to take leave (so their unit doesn't look like ass for not permitting it) in large chunks can use the additional days to their advantage.
My objective from the day I enlisted was always to accrue as much leave as practical (normally 90 days/year) to carry forward to the end of my career so I could bolt three months early (plus the custom of "commanders days" where G.I.s were allowed to disappear then show up to out process than take formal leave).
I also used it accrued leave in conjunction with offering to take long leave outside the holiday season so others in my work center could spend time with their kids. These customs go back to long before I enlisted.
I do STRONGLY suggest that anyone who considers themselves at all sensitive not join the armed forces because that's stress they don't need.
Sensitivity and war do not go together and never did. Not everyone is suited to every career civil or military and there's no shame in not fitting, just wisdom in
choosing wisely!
It's not that sensitivity is a fault, it's that it's simply not optimal and opens the door to stress-induced discomfort and emotional damage. I knew in childhood I'd fit the Air Force which I did with the goal of retiring young and debt-free which I also did, but it's not for everyone. The fewer young people who enlist the better for all concerned because ONLY enlistment and retention create meaningful institutional pressure to raise pay and benefits!
When you serve whatever cretinous hack our dimwit (intelligence is not a choice and is, arguably neuro-divergent!) voters self-inflict you are doing other taxpayers a favor for which you should be compensated! Uncle Sugar will get his use out of you so get your use out of him! There aren't many "idealistic" reasons to fight for a nation (which means people) this contemptibly stupid. The price of not having (even more expensive and like the last time a social disaster) an active draft is to pay the fucking troops.
The USA really is a business, not a country. That's just human nature.
Where the heck is Jack Thompson... (Score:2)
..now that GTA is ACTUALLY being used to inspire violence?
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Ah, but now it is socially acceptable christian approved violence against god's enemies, so Thompson is fine with it.
That won't work! (Score:2)
That's the perfect time to sneak attack Iran! When they're all playing GTA 6!
The Army stole my car? (Score:2)
I KNEW it!
It's a game to die for I guess (Score:3)
Or maybe that's just the ram needed to play the game.
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> Or maybe that's just the ram needed to play the game.
The next installment of GTA will initially be exclusive to current-gen consoles. On the plus side, being optimized for rather dated hardware specs means that when it eventually makes it to PC, it probably won't have insane RAM requirements.
If it follows Rockstar's usual tradition though, it will probably run like absolute shit unless you just dropped $1k+ on a GPU.
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And with the 5070 Ti already over that. Bleh.