Overview
- A July 28 battalion memorandum from the 9th Brigade Engineer Battalion at Fort Stewart says any eligible soldier who reenlists between Aug. 1 and Nov. 14 will be authorized a special four-day pass tied to Grand Theft Auto VI’s release window.
- The memo, signed by Lt. Col. Ryan D. Hodgson, was confirmed as authentic by 3rd Infantry Division spokespeople but applies only to that battalion and not to the U.S. Army as a whole.
- Eligibility rules require a minimum two-year reenlistment, coordination with a soldier’s chain of command, and bar soldiers with administrative or fitness flags from using the pass until those issues are cleared.
- Army officials report about 20 of roughly 130 eligible soldiers have reenlisted under the offer as of mid‑August, and the battalion’s new career counselor proposed the idea to help meet fiscal‑year 2027 retention goals.
- The memo first spread on social media and has prompted debate about using pop‑culture events as incentives, illustrating how local commanders can use non‑monetary perks to influence reenlistment decisions.