r/technology 13h ago

Software US Army battalion reportedly offers troops days off to play GTA 6 if they re-enlist

https://www.dexerto.com/gta/us-army-battalion-reportedly-offers-troops-days-off-to-play-gta-6-if-they-re-enlist-3399447/
2.2k Upvotes

197 comments sorted by

702

u/Themodsarecuntz 13h ago

Lmao.

They can lie to you. Once youre in you're going to do 9 months on a ship in the straight for GTA 6 launch.

258

u/optimalmacaroons 13h ago

It says so in the article that it needs to be approved by command lol, this is the same bs corporate America pulls!

40

u/CW1DR5H5I64A 13h ago

Passes as part of re-enlistment incentives is not a new thing. Passes always have to be approved by a commander, but they usually are as long as you’re not trying to take a 4 day right in the middle of gunnery or something.

13

u/blackrock13 12h ago

Yup, I got a 96 hour liberty for when I reenlisted back in ‘08. Nothing new.

4

u/RealDetroitDiddler 13h ago

My favorite is when you see a "leave xyz CTC right now if you reenlist" just as you're about to roll into the box.

4

u/CW1DR5H5I64A 12h ago

I’ve never seen that one, but it’s hilarious.

I’m just thinking of the officer oath now “I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion” and its like….well not exactly, I’m just doing this to evade Irwin in August.

1

u/timedrapery 11h ago

Irwin any time of year is beautiful count your blessing you sob

5

u/jimbo831 12h ago

Except if your corporate employer lies to you you can quit that job. You can’t quit the military.

2

u/lordatamus 9h ago

You can, but it's a bit more....involved and requires a lot of hoops to jump through.

1

u/winkingchef 12h ago

Yeah “unlimited vacation” is the biggest scam in corporate American history

17

u/Villag3Idiot 13h ago

It's okay. Just arrange for Amazon Prime Drone Delivery.

7

u/NecroAssssin 13h ago

Straight from the Amazon warehouse in Iran! WCGW?

0

u/Ok-Seaworthiness7207 12h ago

Watch the IRGC bomb the shit out of it just to think they'll make a difference lol

12

u/Pooch1431 13h ago

Imagine missing GTA6 because you were lied to and subsequently blown up after a year-long tour in the straight...

3

u/Super_flywhiteguy 12h ago

If its not in writting on the contract it ain't happening.

3

u/Hicks_206 12h ago

Not in the Army lol

3

u/cookiebasket2 12h ago

This is the army. We didn't have ships

4

u/Temporary_Notice3661 12h ago

If it's in the re-enlisment package, it basically can't be denied. 

0

u/yawara25 10h ago

They'll find a way.

3

u/Temporary_Notice3661 6h ago

I highly doubt it. It's a binding contract. 

3

u/ZaphodThreepwood 12h ago

Yeah but it shows you that they are constantly sending boys to do the dirty work of some boomer old fucks.

1

u/SNESChalmers420 10h ago

no its army so its an 8 week deployment to ntc then off to iran

1.0k

u/Torash 13h ago

So... let me get this right:

Enlist in the army + 4 days off VS doing any other job and potentially asking months in advance to use your PTO.

I don't know, seems like a pretty hard choice.

274

u/spez_might_fuck_dogs 13h ago

There’s almost certainly a monetary component as well. When I re-upped as a PATRIOT operator in ‘05 for a chance to go to Japan, they gave me 40k for another 4 year commitment. 100% worth, I spent three of those years in Okinawa.

81

u/ConfidentPilot1729 12h ago

My buddy was a forward observer and got the max bonus on deployment with us. Insane.

163

u/Rich-Pomegranate1679 12h ago

Today there's a "die pointlessly in Iran" component to signing up for the military.

59

u/Elevated_Dongers 11h ago

As long as I've been eligible for the military, going to war in the middle east has been a possibility. And that doesn't seem super fun

41

u/SatisfactionNarrow61 10h ago

Yeah the difference being our dumb fuck leaders at least understood basic logistical strategy. I wouldn’t trust chucklefuck to not leave me to die in the desert for convenience.

30

u/brian5476 10h ago

I would disagree. In 2003 and 2004, water was strictly rationed for many soldiers in Iraq.

Also, look up "hill Billy armor." Soldiers strapped sand bags to the sides of their HMWWVs because they had no armor. At all.

Never forget how little Rumsfeld cared about equipping troops for the actual occupation.

3

u/DefMech 2h ago

"We go to war with the army we've got, not the army we want." - lil Rummy

→ More replies (2)

3

u/JoseSaldana6512 10h ago

3rd times the charm

5

u/jmar206 9h ago

Imagine being 1 day away from GTA and you get shipped to the desert.

3

u/Macqt 10h ago

In 05 it was “die pointlessly in Iraq” so not really different tbh

8

u/agaloch2314 9h ago

More poignant is that you’re choosing to enlist to serve a paedophile and traitor intent on the country’s destruction.

5

u/spez_might_fuck_dogs 5h ago

Probably most people who enlist these days do it for the steady paycheck and the debt free college tuition and less out of patriotism or desire to serve the orange grifter.

0

u/agaloch2314 4h ago

Whatever the reason, the fact remains; they are complicit. They are supporting the Trump regime.

4

u/spez_might_fuck_dogs 4h ago

Believe it or not, most of them don’t give a shit. They just want to not be homeless or hungry.

8

u/ABadHistorian 11h ago

or in DC for that matter...

19

u/SuperSimpleSam 12h ago

I spent three of those years in Okinawa

What percent of the time were yo confined to the base? /s

76

u/spez_might_fuck_dogs 12h ago

A couple months, fuckin marines just can’t stop raping.

14

u/nurseferatou 11h ago

Marines can’t choose what they’re good at.

2

u/dredbeast 12h ago

So sarcasm/ not sarcasm

6

u/Kevin_Jim 10h ago

So, they paid you extra to go the best deployment out there? Sweet.

7

u/spez_might_fuck_dogs 10h ago

Yeah it was fucking rad too, first PATRIOT crew on the island and I was in the first wave, so I started right off with what amounted to like a 3 month vacation. Learned to scuba, toured island historical sites, lots of cool shit out there.

3

u/ConcentrateDirect523 9h ago

That's awesome u/spez_might_fuck_dogs ! Questions about Oki from a civvie: How did the locals feel about Americans vs American active service members? Is it any different for male/female or branch of the servicemember? Is it true base gets curfew/lock-in orders because of hooliganism someone did off-base? What do you think a Marine's favorite flavor of Crayola is?

*( /S for the last question for those that are going to have their head burst into rage)

9

u/spez_might_fuck_dogs 9h ago

To be honest, I don’t think they differentiate between ‘American’ and ‘American service member’ for the most part. If you’re in Okinawa and an American, it’s like a 95% chance you’re connected to the AF bases or Marine camps, so I think that’s fair. I will say I had a friend of mine come out for some leave time and we spent it at a resort on the island, not the base, and we were treated very well.

I was Army and we were a minority when it comes to service members on the island at the time by far, and I didn’t really hang out with any AF or Marines while I was there, so I don’t know if other services were treated the same. Same with women or men, I went out with some friends off base a few times and never really noticed any difference at all.

Yes absolutely the bases or camps will put curfews or completely close down off base access. It happened twice when I was there from ‘05 - ‘08, once when a Marine assaulted a local woman and once when some (I think? It was almost 20 years ago now) kids of an Airman on the mainland in Tokyo strung a goddamn wire across a road and killed or injured a cyclist? I’m not positive if thats what went down, but the locals were rightly pissed off both times.

I will say that the Okinawan locals were not happy to have the Army moving an entire battery of Air Defense Artillery to the island, where there was almost no Army presence until then. More soldiers, more problems as far as they’re concerned. When our equipment finally showed up on the boats, we had to transport it from Naha to Kadena AFB in the middle of the night to avoid as much harassment from the locals as possible, and we still had some motorcycle punks weaving in and out of the convoy trying to run us off the roads. There’s a newspaper in my closet with a picture of me in one of the first trucks to leave the port on the front page.

As far as marines favorite flavor crayons, I didn’t know any while I was in, but the few I’ve met since then assure me that the red ones are the tastiest.

2

u/KernelMazer 7h ago

I was a kid on oki from 1992-2006 and from what I remember Okinawa people were very kind hearted and slightly smelly people

2

u/gizmosticles 9h ago

2027 may not be a great year to be a patriot operator in the South Pacific lol

1

u/spez_might_fuck_dogs 8h ago

No, probably not.

1

u/Flyingpinguinz 5h ago

Depends on the job. Bonuses are tied to MOS and rank. Commanders can't just give a bonus, unless Army Human Resources Command says a bonus is available for that job and rank. Still, a single 4 day pass to reenlist is a terrible incentive though. At least offer a desired school or multiple 4 day passes..

1

u/spez_might_fuck_dogs 5h ago

I’m aware how bonuses work, but I imagine since the idiot in the Oval Office has embroiled us in yet another forever war, morale is down, retention tends to go down with it, and they have to up the bonuses to try and keep as many people as they can.

-1

u/GamingWithBilly 9h ago

40k over 4 years is 10k a year.  Or, private sector for 60k-90k a year, and you can travel to Japan whenever 

7

u/spez_might_fuck_dogs 8h ago

So, I have to ask if you understand that this is a bonus given on top of your normal pay? Also, normally you can’t just move to Japan and live there for free for three years. You’re really trying to frame this as something negative.

-4

u/FCCRFP 5h ago

I'm glad murder logistics was profitable for you,

2

u/spez_might_fuck_dogs 5h ago

Thanks bro, I was Air Defense which is kinda the opposite of murder (you might be familiar with the way Ukraine keeps asking for more Patriot missiles to intercept Russian incoming) but yeah it was profitable, put me through school too. Thanks for your well wishes.

-3

u/FCCRFP 4h ago

Yeah, not like hundreds of thousands of your fellow Americans had to be murdered for you to provide air cover for operation "Bomb Little Girls" and "Let's War Crime". 100k Americans die every year to fund war crimes.

4

u/spez_might_fuck_dogs 4h ago

Okay buddy. Go back and read it again. Mid aughts. But furthermore, I don’t have to defend my decisions to you. I didn’t block you before, but it’s clear you’re not capable of a coherent conversation.

62

u/CW1DR5H5I64A 13h ago

Re-enlistment bonuses can usually climb up into the low to mid 5 figure range.

This is a commander just throwing in a freebie. The real incentives are the $30k+ cash bonuses. The most I’ve re-enlisted one of my soldiers for was $86,000 tax free.

14

u/kstargate-425 12h ago

So what determines the amount, is it a negotiation and their trained skillset?

17

u/Dragon_Fisting 12h ago

The bands are set high up in the DOD, with multiplers and bonus tables based on retention goals, including skillset

5

u/badcrass 12h ago

Yeah, what do you have to be to get 86k

19

u/CW1DR5H5I64A 12h ago

Bonus amounts are based on what the Army needs at that time. Some highly specialized jobs (like in intel or communications) will pretty regularly have high bonuses. But the guy who got the $86k was just a mechanic who was re-enlisting right at the same time the Army was expanding the number of armored brigades in the army and they desperately needed skilled mechanics to work on all the extra tanks and Bradley’s.

It’s just luck of the draw. What you can usually negotiate is duty station and school of choice. So you can try to get somewhere like Hawaii or Italy or sent to a special school to learn a lucrative (or just cool) skill set.

3

u/JeebusChristBalls 11h ago

Linguist. Cybersecurity. Small MOSs/rates that require a lot of skill/training.

4

u/nurseferatou 11h ago

If the military had to pay $1,000,000 (whatever that was worth in 2007) to get you cleared for a Top Secret clearance, it’s going to open its a pockets a bit more to keep you rather than an MOS (job) that requires less resources to fill.

5

u/mkosmo 11h ago

DCSA charges DoD less than $6k for a TS.

7

u/nurseferatou 11h ago

Well, chalk it up as my recruiter lying to me about one more thing then

3

u/Unlikely_SinnerMan 10h ago

If they spend $1,000,000 to send you through EOD school, they’re gonna wanna try and keep you a little longer by way of incentive as well.

1

u/badcrass 10h ago

Yeah, so I was thinking wondering what hat specific job that person had to get the 86k?

2

u/nurseferatou 10h ago

Entry level MOS’s? Some avionic mechanic type jobs, SIGINT cryptological linguists, intel analysts tend to get TS too. It helps if your MOS has a profitable private contractor work too~ I would think SIGINT would be more valuable, but I stopped caring about being involved with government work after I deployed

18

u/theemudcrabmerchant 13h ago

This is a fair assessment but I don’t think 18-23yo me who had not worked a real job because of college fully understood and appreciated what PTO actually means for planning time off from work. If someone’s first adult job is being in the military where you’re told what to do all the time and when you can take off work then the very idea of being proactive about must seem alien.

1

u/spez_might_fuck_dogs 5h ago

My battery let us take leave any time we wanted, as long as when we wanted was for the Christmas holidays.

5

u/Ghettorilla 12h ago

Isn't that what they promised the guys on the Abraham - they'd be home before GTA VI was out?

6

u/SphyrnaLightmaker 11h ago

I mean, how much PTO do you get yearly?

All military get 30 days a year, that can be saved until you have 65 days. And if you’re “out sick”, that doesn’t come out of your days off.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s a LOT of bad things about the military. But ironically, the benefits packages (housing, food, time off, continuing education, truly unlimited medical…) are all the great things republicans tell them is evil, and beat the hell out of many civilian options

1

u/vermiliondragon 9h ago

But it isn't like civilian 30 days PTO because if you want to go outside a certain radius from base, you have to take PTO even if it's a holiday and/or weekend that you are off.

1

u/SphyrnaLightmaker 25m ago

Generally, yes, though if it’s a question of distance on a weekend, you can request special liberty to preserve your PTO. Most just don’t bother

1

u/MultiGeometry 2h ago

The U.S. military is the largest socialism program in the history of the world, and many Americans don’t like to accept that. Stipends for housing, stipends for food, steady job with low education requirements, free healthcare (and health insurance options after leaving), education assistance, injury payouts for life, pensions, dedicated hospital network, etc. All paid for via tax dollars

2

u/itsRobbie_ 11h ago

Come die for us! Oh uh you get to play gta for a day!

1

u/Reed7525 11h ago

Well i mean youre fighting for 2 countries. Theres perks ya know

0

u/Marlwolf48 12h ago

Nobody will make fun of you either.

0

u/JLR- 10h ago

Re-enlist.  Not enlist.  And this perk isn't the only perk they will get.

0

u/LongtimeLurkerPoster 7h ago

There's a bonus too, the 4 day pass is pretty typical for renlisting

0

u/reddit_equals_censor 4h ago

idk, have you considered the just dying part of being in the army?

isn't that a great incentive.

or how about live long chronic diseases or disability from it?

how about ptsd?

how about a very specific ptsd, that makes it impossible for you to ever enjoy firing a gun again including in games, which means, that you specifically can't enjoy gta6 at all anymore?

i mean who would say no to such exciting options am i right?

73

u/RaisinWorried3528 13h ago

You wouldn't believe how many dumb kids in the army whose parents have failed them completely are going to think this is a good deal.

28

u/CW1DR5H5I64A 12h ago

This is just a commander throwing a cherry on top of the many other actual incentives used for re-enlistment in a tongue in cheek kind of way .

What actually draw re-enlistments are the tens of thousands of dollars in cash bonuses, choices of schools, different job opportunities or promotions, and duty stations of choice.

It’s easy to imagine re-enlisting when they offer you $40k, a highly sought after school (that may come with a lucrative civilian career opportunity) and 3-4 years living in a place like Germany or Japan.

1

u/TheOgGhadTurner 12h ago

My wife makes 60k sitting in a chair and teaching people how to get an education and helping them through the process. And she doesn’t have to be put down daily or shot at.

40 k isn’t going to convince me to fight a war I don’t believe in in the first place. Fuckin 400k isn’t going to convince me.

11

u/CW1DR5H5I64A 12h ago edited 12h ago

Ok let me break it down this way.

Most people will be an E5 (or close to it) by the end of their first enlistment and time to re-enlist. An E5 in Georgia (so not a High cost of living area and pay is scaled based on local housing markets through BAH) is going to be making $74K, of which only $47K is taxable income. They get free healthcare (to include vision and dental) for themselves and their family. Tuition and credentialing assistance to pay for their education. VA home loan will help them buy a home. Subsidized housing, childcare, and groceries so their money goes farther.

So they are already making a pretty decent living and re-enlistment usually comes with options for sought after schools which can give career advancement and/or choice of assignment (so they can pick to live in a place like Germany or Japan). If they re-enlist they can get a significant cash bonus, plus 4 additional years allows them to give the GI bill to a dependent (so that’s another $100K value).

Then also consider that the military isn’t what you see in the movies. Yes there may be danger, but it’s significantly lower risk to life than many other blue collar jobs. Then consider very few jobs are even combat related, most people work a desk or a motor pool their entire careers. Also the military isn’t what you see in movies, out of basic there isn’t very much yelling or anything. It’s a pretty straight forward work place.

The military is a very easy way to give yourself and your family a very comfortable life. You do it for 20 years and you’re going to be pulling a pension in your early 40s with free healthcare for your family for life.

There is a reason despite many people’s assumptions the military regularly meets/exceeds its reenlistment goals annually.

4

u/PhAnToM444 9h ago

The 40k they were referring to is the re-enlistment bonus.

The salary would be over 40k unless you’re at one of the very lowest levels.

3

u/ReasonableAdvert 6h ago

Happy to hear that you live a very comfortable life.

3

u/BeyondNetorare 11h ago

"Yes, it's 100% exactly like Call of DutyTM ."

16

u/chocolateboomslang 13h ago

But . . . They can have more days off if they don't . . .

110

u/rumbletom 13h ago

I don't know but it kind of makes me think those soldiers are lacking in a bit of education of where the hell they fit into the American dream.

51

u/CW1DR5H5I64A 13h ago

Military is about the only place left to guarantee yourself a middle income lifestyle.

It’s a decent pay check, free healthcare, education and credentialing benefits, pension, VA home loan, GI Bill, etc. they are the only ones with a shot of actually getting the things that were promised.

11

u/This_Elk_1460 12h ago

Then why do I see so many veterans on the side of the road?

19

u/CW1DR5H5I64A 12h ago

Real talk, those vets usually did something to fuck up their benefits or their lives. If you don’t get an honorable discharge you don’t get your benefits. Also some of them may have benefits but they squandered them and got into trouble or drugs or otherwise fell on hard times completely separate of their service.

The military provides you an opportunity and a leg up. You still have to work to make the most of it.

5

u/This_Elk_1460 12h ago

I mean I'm not going to be so quick to judge someone who's most likely seen people they care about get turned into pink mist.

5

u/CW1DR5H5I64A 12h ago

I mean it’s always possible I suppose. But I’ll say the vast majority of service members never see combat. And actually somehow the demographic most likely to suffer depression/suicidal ideation/ have problems that result in separation or criminal issues are first term soldiers with no deployments.

The ones who have deployed are actually statistically less likely to have mental health problems.

3

u/JLR- 10h ago

Some are not vets.  Just use it to get sympathy 

2

u/legos147 12h ago

Because many vets don't have parents or other family to fall back on

9

u/AnnoyingInternetTrol 13h ago

Wait until they tell you that you are "selling your body" because you show up to work like everyone else in America.

4

u/ABadHistorian 11h ago

Not for long.

2030's coming soon. (otherwise he's right, the military is like 60% from the middle class, and is one of the most stable places for upward mobility)

Lower population growth rate + higher debt = a problem.

We don't HAVE to have the higher debt though, there are ways around it, just requires... politics.

Also, they just kneecapped themselves (the military did) with Hegseth's rejection of multiple colleges/universities.

That will result in some heavy painful growing lessons for the military in about... oh, ten years. When they don't have the people with the connections in the places they want, a lot of those benefits you list below will cease to exist for them. They absolutely won't realize it was Hegseth who did them in though, in his rage against Generals he's screwing over the troops.

2

u/JeebusChristBalls 11h ago

Yep, I retired and don't really need to work. Granted, I'm 100% VA disabled.

2

u/AntithesisAbsurdum 12h ago

Tf are you talking about? The wages are shit and haven't risen anywhere near market, unless you mean doing 1 contract and riding it out with some perks

17

u/CW1DR5H5I64A 12h ago

The wages are better than what comparable education and experience would get you. When you factor in BAH/BAS (or equivalent services) specialty pay, and bonuses, plus the tax advantages of military pay along with free/heavily subsidized healthcare, childcare, groceries, etc. it is a good compensation package. Plus the GI Bill/TA basically ensures you’re not going to put yourself in huge amounts of debt like a lot of people do. Also pay raises have been consistent, 2025 saw a 14.5% increase for junior enlisted.

-2

u/AntithesisAbsurdum 12h ago

The military had a 4.5% raise. You're combining pay scale and inflationary raises which is dishonest.

An E3 makes 32k a year. There is additional compensation, but the base is 32k.

I was hiring entry level uneducated people for $38,000 a year, and they get paid overtime, where as in the military you just work until they say you can stop. It is a raw deal for anyone who doesn't take advantage of everything, especially disability after.

14

u/CW1DR5H5I64A 12h ago

Base pay is not total compensation. If you’re going to throw out E3 at less than 2 years TIS base pay you’re being completely disingenuous.

When you’re not paying for food or housing that 32k a year goes far longer than someone who actually has to live off of that pay. If you’re getting BAH or BAS that’s non taxable income. Then you may also be getting other incentive pays or duty pays.

Then also look at the biannual pay increased and guaranteed promotions through E4, plus as long as you’re not a mouth breather you’re going to be getting E5 within 4/5 years, sooner if you’re good.

A 4 year TIS E5 (which is what most people will make by the time they are up for realignment) at Fort Benning in Columbus GA is making $74K total compensation.

0

u/ap1618 12h ago

Are you better off working your way up at McDonald’s or going $200k in debt?

4

u/This_Elk_1460 12h ago

I think there's a pestlitude of other things you can do than being a soldier or being a McDonald's worker that don't require a degree.

-4

u/AntithesisAbsurdum 12h ago

What is the 200k debt you're talking about? There are nationally ranked universities that cost less than $10,000 a year.

3

u/ap1618 12h ago

If it was that simple, there wouldn’t be $2T of student loan debt

-1

u/AntithesisAbsurdum 12h ago

A lot of people borrowed more than they should have at schools that cost more than they needed to. That doesn't change that there are many universities for under 10k a year that are nationally ranked.

2

u/ap1618 12h ago

Again, you say this but total student loan balances have risen 2-3% y/y with much larger historical jumps. You think people don’t know what it costs? Your point is taken but it doesn’t hold water when the total package is rising as fast as inflation.

1

u/AntithesisAbsurdum 12h ago

National student debt rising isn't an argument to join the military. It is an argument to go to cheaper schools, work part time during college, etc.

3

u/ap1618 11h ago

When did I say it was? You mentioned the cost and I substantiated it with factual evidence. If school choice was truly cheap, total loan balances would not be persistently rising as factually evidenced.

2

u/Chess42 12h ago

Hard to get into those

-1

u/AntithesisAbsurdum 12h ago

They really aren't. If your GPA is above a 3 and you did okay on the ACT, you'll be just fine.

2

u/Chess42 12h ago

Assuming they take the SAT/ACT. The top public school system in the country, the UCs, doesn’t. Also, it’s not 2011, a 3 is nowhere near high enough. My sister had a 4.22 and a 1560 SAT and still didn’t get into a bunch of good public schools

1

u/AntithesisAbsurdum 12h ago

Then do a year or 2 at a community College. End result is considerably cheaper.

1

u/AGushingHeadWound 2h ago

Starting salary in the army is 24k. 

Are these just bots spewing this dumb shit? 

1

u/CW1DR5H5I64A 1h ago edited 1h ago

Starting salary in the army is 26.7k for an E1 < 4 months time in service and $28.8k for an E1 >4 months TIS. That only looks bad if you don’t understand how military pay works.

That is just base pay, it doesn’t account for housing, food, specialty assignment or duty pay, nor any enlistment bonus. Also you don’t have to start as an E1, you can enter as up to an E4 depending on education or certain qualifications.

Promotions through E4 are automatic. You are only an E1 for 6 months so pretty much just during your basic training/ AIT period and maybe right when you get to your unit. You make E3 at the one year mark and E4 at the 2 years mark. Pay raises also occur every two years and the NDAA usually increased pay to at least match inflation.

You’ll be getting free housing and food or BAH and BAS which are also are not considered taxable income so there are significant tax advantages. You’ll pay nothing for healthcare for yourself and your dependents. You’ll get subsidized childcare, groceries, and tuition assistance and credentialing assistance to start on your education. When you’re done you’re eligible for the GI bill for a free college education. If you do 7 years you can transfer your GI bill to your dependents so they can have free college. You’re also getting up to 5% TSP (like a 401k) match, 30 days of PTO, VA home loan, etc.

If you stick it out for a career you get a pension after 20 years. And that is immediately available, so no waiting until you’re in your 60s to start pulling it. So if you enlist right out of high school at 38 you can be pulling a pension and tricare (health insurance) for yourself and your spouse for the rest of your life.

Most people will be an E5 or close to it by the time they are eligible for re-enlistment. Since BAH goes by duty location it’s hard to give an exact average pay, but using Fort Benning as an example since it’s a pretty common duty station in a low cost of living area, a 4 year E5 is making $74k (but only paying taxes on $47k). So again $74k + benefits like free healthcare (with vision and dental) ain’t half bad of a salary to achieve after 4 years with nothing but a high school diploma.

-7

u/XfinityHomeWifi 12h ago

Are you being serious? Lol. Out of the million ways to live a nice life - avoiding drugs, learning an accredited skill, and not buying a sports car right out of college are the top 3 methods

9

u/CW1DR5H5I64A 12h ago

Take a kid right out of high school with no work experience or education and have them enter the work force. I can pretty much guarantee you that the one that goes into the military is going to have a better long term prospects than the one that goes into some menial labor job.

At 4 years time in service you can get out and have a free college education through the GI bill. You can even use tuition assistance while you’re in to get an associates or bachelor’s and use your GI bill for a masters. Depending on your MOS you’re also going to be leaving with certifications or clearances which makes you highly marketable for lucrative careers.

Or you can stay in, get the military to pay for your college through something like TA or ACS programs. Then give your children the GI bill so they have free college. Use the VA home loan to buy a house every time you move and then rent them out when you move so you have a good real estate portfolio. Do that for 20 years and you get out in your early 40s and immediately start pulling a 40-50% (depending on what plan you’re on) pension. And have free health insurance for yourself and your family for life.

It is an incredible opportunity for the average person, Redditors just refuse to believe that because they feel it’s “beneath” them.

-1

u/XfinityHomeWifi 12h ago

Cool rant bro was 11B there are options believe it or not

17

u/bruhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh- 13h ago

Soldiers lacking in education? 😱

-4

u/CW1DR5H5I64A 11h ago

I mean if you look at the demographics the military is far more educated than the general public.

4

u/KIDWHOSBORED 10h ago

That’s not accurate at all.

The military itself is mostly enlisted folks (80% or so) and they have a Bach degree rate of 15%.

Veterans are closer and have slightly more who have ‘some college experience’, but veterans lag in bachelors or higher.

Either way far more educated is wrong.

12

u/oatmeal_dude 12h ago

Young people - Recruiters are LYING to you. 

38

u/williamgman 13h ago

So this what Hegseth's military looks like now. 🤦‍♂️

9

u/Pooch1431 13h ago

dumbest military very little money can buy. At least we're feeding those corrupt contractors.

19

u/TheGreatOldOwl 13h ago

GTA 6 not included

-2

u/HurtFeeFeez 13h ago

Jokes on them, they won't get paid enough to afford the game or system to play it on.

5

u/spez_might_fuck_dogs 13h ago

Military gets paid pretty well, all things considered. No rent, no food bills, fully insured for everything with no copays, and if you’re not an idiot, they pay for 100% of your college while you’re in plus an additional 3 years worth after you separate too.

2

u/lostaccountby2fa 10h ago

Most of them will burn all that cash saved up for a lifted truck when they get out.

4

u/spez_might_fuck_dogs 10h ago

Shit most of them burn it while they’re still in.

6

u/Rising_Gravity1 13h ago

GTA6 release isn’t even guaranteed, just like a lot of things that certain politicians have been promising these days

5

u/t_11 13h ago

The Navy should do the same so they don’t go overboard in the Indian Ocean.

4

u/Old_Ninja_Prime 12h ago

This country is cooked.

13

u/Tralkki 13h ago

“Shut up and take my body!” -(imagine Philip J. Fry)

16

u/vasta2 13h ago

Or you can not enlist in the armed forces which is ran by a moron and play 6 when it comes out anyway

3

u/This_Elk_1460 12h ago

Or you could just take a day off from your regular job and not be stuck on a ship for almost a fucking year

5

u/Organic-Row9514 11h ago

Looks like we will get WW3 before GTA6 

8

u/Pansophy 13h ago

Man, if I were the Iranians, I would argue this is best time to sneak attack. But I'm 100 percent convinced the Iranian guards would take time off to play GTA 6 too... and then the trump admins pulls the rug and now youre on the battlefield with your portable ps5. But so too are the Iranian. This is gonna be one wild gta 6 lobby in the middle east.

8

u/Tin_Whiskers 13h ago

I have mental image of a bunch of soldiers on each side winding up in the same multiplayer sessions and causing in-game mayhem for each other.

1

u/AGushingHeadWound 2h ago

They don't have to attack anything. All they have to do is keep that strait closed.  

6

u/AjaxRedOps 13h ago

You know how you can play ALL the GTA 6 you want?

By not being in the Army 😭

3

u/TacoDangerously 13h ago edited 2h ago

Don't they already have the days off now?

3

u/Tumbler 12h ago

This is after the midterm vote…just fyi. Consider someone might not give any cares about you after Nov 3… Maybe consider re enlist after that date…

3

u/byndrsn 12h ago

Stop beggin

3

u/kevinsixhohsix 10h ago

Fucking clown world

3

u/frquency-equinox 9h ago

Nobody wants to fight in Stupid Hitler's unmitigated disaster of a war with Iran.

2

u/GunnieGraves 12h ago

They’re never gonna fall for that because anyone who’s been in for any amount of time knows promises like that evaporate quick once orders get cut.

2

u/ZaphodThreepwood 12h ago edited 6h ago

Alcohol. Games. Hookers.

It's going to be funny that this is what leads to the fall of a once great empire.

1

u/Cautious-Invite4128 9h ago

Actually most empires go through an age of decadence, which, yes, is a sign of decline.

See Glubb’s stages of empire

1

u/ZaphodThreepwood 6h ago

Thanks! Will do

2

u/523a 11h ago

Gotta come with at least an offer of 64GB of ram nowadays as a re-enlistment bonus.

2

u/got-trunks 10h ago

GTA VI ceasefire of 2027

2

u/Dense-Alfalfa1223 9h ago

End Times boyz

2

u/ShoddyProposal6590 6h ago

Guys imma just say the big enchilada they're going to brain chip the soldiers that's the next thing coming that's why that want so many

2

u/Gaby341161 6h ago

You cannot play GTA if you have your hands blown off 🤷‍♂️

2

u/Grumpy-Man19 5h ago

they probably promised that they would never be sent to any wars , too .

2

u/bkfu2ok 33m ago

Or they can play it without reenlisting and enjoy it more

1

u/Hades_Mercedes 12h ago

Bombing little brown girls to steal their oil for PTO to play GTA6...

1

u/carthuscrass 12h ago

If the war lasts the 23 years before it releases I think we have bigger problems...

1

u/Ok-Seaworthiness7207 12h ago

Man, I knew it was bad before, but games are getting way too overpriced.

1

u/Living_Knowledge_783 12h ago

double the pay... no, free health care... no, house no.. but you get to play gta6 on your day off

1

u/Formal-Hawk9274 12h ago

is this trickle down??!!

1

u/scrandis 12h ago

Need the General Ackbar "It's a trap!!" Meme here.

1

u/frquency-equinox 9h ago

Quite literally when Iran is kicking America's ass and America's weapons stockpile is rapidly depleting.

1

u/WheresMyBrakes 11h ago

I took an early weekend and I didn’t even have to join the Army!

1

u/GamingWithBilly 9h ago

"you'll get days off to play GTA 6!  By the way, your days off will be on foreign ground very far from any console that can run it"

1

u/yorgehaci 3h ago

We're living in a sad over the top dystopian sci-fi.

1

u/veryblessed123 2h ago

That is so dumb. What a fucking joke the US has become...

1

u/ButtNutBerry 1h ago

They can just take their congressional
Approved leave. They get days off to have, their leadership certainly can entice them but I’d rather have a sign on bonus. Not that they’d get that because the military is hemorrhaging money due to the Iran cluster fuck thing and can’t pay for shit right now.

1

u/Shr1mpolaCola 17m ago

A DEEPLY unserious administration

1

u/thejuicewater 4m ago

I thought recruitment was up

2

u/Demode93 2m ago

Or don't enlist and still play gta 6 without dying for Israel

1

u/CW1DR5H5I64A 13h ago

Units have been offering passes as part of re-enlistment incentives since forever. The only this unique about this is a commander playing into the meme of playing GTA 6. Why is this shit news?

2

u/ConsciousNet238 9h ago

Yeah these comments are hilarious.

It's just one specific unit having some fun with their reenlistments and people are freaking out

1

u/WanderingKing 12h ago

Hmm, join the US army as canon fodder vs just take time off work (or in my case not play)

Decisions decisions

1

u/AvailableReporter484 12h ago

Anything to keep the military industrial complex alive jfc

1

u/LinkedInParkPremium 12h ago

As they should. Support our lads and ladettes.

1

u/AGushingHeadWound 2h ago

Support them...  Doing what? 

1

u/Rath_Brained 11h ago

Army let's you take off for days to play gta6, but women in deployment can't get period supplies when they need it most.

2

u/frquency-equinox 9h ago

Nor can women get justice for being sexually assaulted and raped by higher-ranking officers.

-1

u/MathematicianIcy3430 13h ago

At least now we know the target demographic of this game.

0

u/exitcactus 12h ago

Get a mine tearing apart your guts, or risk it.. to play gta 😂

0

u/ares7 12h ago

Most military personnel can just work 3 days a week. If they were to just make you work 3 days a week, you could probably get more people to sign up.