Peterson AFB: There's an app for that

by Lea Johnson
21st Space Wing Public Affairs staff writer

11/13/2012 - PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Need to know what time class starts at the Airmen and Family Readiness Center? Curious what movies are playing at the auditorium this weekend? Looking for the phone number for outdoor recreation? Peterson Air Force Base has an app for that.

The program, My Military Communities, or MyMC2, was created by the 375th Communications Support Squadron from Scott Air Force Base, Ill. The app pulls event listings from organizational Facebook pages that are officially associated with a base and consolidates them into one place.

There are currently 25 installations using the MyMC2 app, including Peterson.

Start by searching "MyMC2" on the respective smart phone application store. Once downloaded, the user just needs to select a base. Once users select a base, running the app will open a main page that lists the next five events available at each base, based on the information organizations provide through their Facebook page. Users then have the option to narrow or expand their search by organization or type.

Selecting an event will take users to a screen with more information about that particular event, including the option to add the event to your phone's calendar.

The front page for the Peterson AFB application also includes two quick-call buttons with the numbers for the base operator and for the A&FRC.

Master Sgt. Delbert Freeborn, 375th CSPTS project manager, said, "This app will be especially useful for newcomers to the area. It was developed for Air Force and Department of Defense wide use, so if you move to a new base or travel somewhere for work, you could open this app and view the list of events for that base. It's ready for everybody."

Steve Brady, 21st Space Wing Public Affairs internal information chief, started looking at options for an application for the base several months ago when he learned about the project Scott AFB was working on.

"We wanted to combine all the different events and information into one common space to provide the best service possible to the variety of agencies on base," Brady said.

The 21st SW hosts 53 mission partners on base, and provides installation support to about 10,500 employees and more than 17,000 retirees, and their family members, who use the installation.

To gather the information for the MyMC2 app, Brady had to contact organizations across base and link their Facebook pages to the app. Events are loaded to the app through events created on Facebook, he said.

Even though he was the main contact for organizing the app, it is up to each organization to keep their information on Facebook current.

"We hope as more people install and use the app, these organizations will recognize the value of the application and keep their pages filled with their latest information," Brady said.

The MyMC2 app is available for free download now on the Android Market and Apple's App Store.