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These Two Military Officers Built An iTunes App That's Getting Downloaded Like Crazy

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Billy and Tony

A few years ago, buddies Billy Griffin, a Navy lieutenant, and Tony Hatala, a Marine captain, decided it should be much easier to find the phone numbers for resources on military posts.

It's especially frustrating for new troops, who show up on a bse for the first time with a set of orders and no idea where to go.

The pair were clearly not alone in their frustration and after squeezing in some programming during deployments, family obligations, and military life their app, MilitaryTraveler, recently hit 30,000 downloads on iTunes.

But it all started with that one converstaion in 2010. Griffin and Hatala were both deployed on the USS Peleliu, and in their sliver of downtime they started talking about how an app to consolidate all the information someone might need on a military base would look. The idea took on a life and Hatala started creating the model.

They limited themselves to Marine bases at first, there are fewer of them, and after all Hatala is a Marine. For months it was just the two of them logging all the base information they could find either in print or on base websites.

In March 2011, they launched the app on iTunes, followed shortly by the Android version. An update, 1.6, debuted this spring. It's been a hit, with a 4+ rating on iTunes and 4.8 out of 5 rating on Android.

Along with the phone numbers for base staples like Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) centers, barbershops, and dining facilities, the numbers for inprocessing and transition assistance are available for most bases. What Griffin and Hatala are most proud of, though, is the "Request for Correction" option, making the app interactive. 

"People will write in and say they're trying to get in touch with so-and-so, and I will call on my lunch break," said Griffin, currently working at the Pentagon. With the basic framework completed on all the bases in the States, the customer input lets them go back to make one "phenomenal."

Though Griffin and Hatala handled all the data input for the first year, with Hatala currently deployed, they've started delegating some of the work. A friend's fiance is updating movie times, and they've started signing licensing contracts with base MWRs.

"We're still going to help, but they'll bear most of the burden of updating links and other information," Griffin said. Aside from helping Griffin and Hatala avoid carpal tunnel syndrome, the MWRs will get the word out, promoting the app when they promote activities such as marathons and concerts.

They're not giving up too much control, though. Griffin plans on devoting more time to the project after his Navy stint is up in spring 2013. And while Hatala has a few more years of service left, Griffin said he wants to go to Harvard Business School.

Now see: How to work a room like a 4-star >

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