When Military.com started in 1999, it wasn't clear whether it would survive the rough and tumble dot-com boom in which technology magnates were striving to stake their claim in the new digital frontier. The website went live in March 2000, and a Wall Street Journal report at that time noted that five military-focused websites were all starting around the same time and "will begin fighting it out for the military audience." Christopher Michel, Military.com's founder, saw it a little differently.