Last April Newsweek wrote that the iPod Touch and iPhone were quickly becoming the preferred handheld device to assist deployed soldiers. Although the Pentagon would not disclose how many iPods were on the ground, it’s evident by the growing number of military apps that many in uniform are making good use of Apple’s popular toys.

C-17 Duty Day Calculator – $.99

Know when you should put down the bottle? Or when your scheduled takeoff should be? The C-17 Duty Day Calculator does. Made for active duty, reserves and guard crew members, the application will show you each and every duty day limitations.

iSurvive – $1.99

Soldiers often find themselves in life or death situations. While some circumstances escalate quickly, and there’s no time at all to pull out an iPhone, iSurvive provides an exhaustive guide for those moments when you can. Its nine chapters cover evasions, navigation, radio communications, recovery, medical, personal protection, water, food and induced conditions.

U.S. Military Handbook – $9.99

Your pocket guide to all things military starts here. This app features reference material that covers everything from base pay to fitness and testing matrixes. The latest version includes base information for CONUS/OCONUS on a scrollable map.

BulletFlight – $29.99

Turn your iPhone into a ballistics calculator, created (and used in Iraq and Afghanistan) to assist snipers in hitting a target from up to 1,000 yards away. Its bullet database boasts most major brands, and the program utilizes the device’s built-in accelerometer, which is able to detect your angle for improved accuracy.

PerDiemCalc – $.99

Perfect for temporary-duty assignments, this per diem calculator will keep your spending right on track. It can be used for one-day trips or longer journeys and includes seasonal per diem rates.

US Military Acronyms and Abbreviations – Free

Released just last week, this pint-sized guide to abbreviated words is great for decoding all sorts of jargon. With it, you’ll know more military terminology common within the DOD (Department of Defense) than you’ve ever imagined possible.

Fart Army – $.99

Considering how many fart apps there are out there, this one was bound to happen. Touting itself as “just not another boring Fart Machine iPhone App,” Fart Army can sputter unfortunate, yet funny noises that sound like air rockets, bazookas, machine guns, mess calls, sonar, sleeping soldiers and more. To hear samples of these and others, view the Fart Army promotional video below.

Linguo – $2.99

So, this 25-language translator isn’t exactly military inspired. However, its ability to quickly change important phrases can aid you in any overseas situation. Don’t have Internet access? Never fear. Linguo even works offline with its database of more than 385,000 entries.

Military Slang – $.99

In addition to acronyms and abbreviations, Military Slang focuses on common soldier terms such as “ate up,” “ASP” and 2,000 more. With the flick of a finger, you can figure out what in the world your comrades are saying when they use insider lingo that even you don’t understand.

ARMY Today – $1.99

This application gives easy access to army-focused news reports, videos and radio. App users receive daily updates as well as a visual guide to army enlisted and rank insignia. ALTOM Publishing, which has no affiliation with the U.S. Department of Defense or the U.S. Army, also sells a similar app for the U.S. Marine Corps.

U.S. Military History – $2.99

You’ve followed in their boot-steps, and now it’s time to learn more about soldiers who have served before you. This app features daily war facts, and it looks at how Americans have retold modern war stories in history, literate and pop culture.

Although economic hard-times haven’t been so great for some, the U.S. Military’s recruitment office is riding a wave of success. Actually, this year will mark the first time it’s been able to meet enlistment goals since 1973, when the United States put an end to the draft.

The AFP reports that the military’s recipe for success was high unemployment (the largest group of out-of-work Americans in 26 years) mixed in with a multi-billion dollar campaign to attract potential recruits.

The U.S. Army saw the biggest surge—beating its goal of 65,000 by 5,045—while the U.S. Navy (35,500), U.S. Marine Corps (31,400) and U.S. Air Force (31,980) exceeded its goals by 27, 13 and three, respectively.