Real military captains drive Jeep’s ‘Captains of America’ commercial

The Jeep® brand is one that is nearly synonymous with military history, dating back to June 1940 and the outbreak of World War II when the U.S. Army solicited bids from automakers for a light reconnaissance vehicle tailored to Army specifications.

By Armistice Day 1940, Willys-Overland delivered its prototype “Quad” vehicle and the “jeep” would go on to be the trusted brand for soldiers throughout the European theater. One jeep was even awarded the Purple Heart. Jeep continued to serve in both combat and civilian roles, becoming a beloved brand known for rugged vehicles and classic designs.

To this day, Jeep strives to continue to honor military service members with cash incentives or Veteran’s Day specials and non-profit donations.

But for America250, they did something extra fun: they teamed up with Marvel and found real military captains for a special “Captain America” themed commercial.

The featured captains include:

Capt. Gary Neuger, Army (Jeep Wrangler A250 driver)

Capt. Kschris Anda, Air Force (Jeep Wrangler driver)

Capt. Scott Kennedy, Marine Corps (Jeep Grand Cherokee driver)

Capt. Joz McCaw, Army (Jeep Cherokee driver)

Capt. Margaret McCoy, Army National Guard (Jeep Compass driver)

Capt. Roberto Portales, Army (Jeep Gladiator driver)

Capt. Hiram Murray, Marine Corps (Jeep Grand Wagoneer driver)

Capt. Alan Pietruszewski, Navy (Naval Aviator)

Capt. Bodhi Rader, Air Force (Pilot)

It’s worth noting that some of these captains went on to achieve higher ranks in the military, so these do not necessarily reflect how quickly you should snap to attention when they walk in the room.

Jeep didn’t have to actually cast veterans. They could have cast any actor to play their captains. Instead, they took the time to search for the real thing.

Let me tell you why that’s so important.

When veterans transition to civilian careers after their military service, they’re already years behind their civilian counterparts. Sometimes their military jobs can translate on the resume, but oftentimes it means starting over.

In a career like the entertainment industry where youth is king, it can be brutal to try to get a job that a celebrity with a decade of roles on their resume is also auditioning for. Why would you cast me when you have Academy Award winner Anne Hathaway right there?

Well, for a military role, experience actually does come in handy. We know how to wear the uniform, march in formation, and salute. We know how to pronounce military lingo and communicate with shorthand. In other words, we bring authenticity to a career field that is highly honored and routinely portrayed in film and television, and when you get it wrong, every veteran in your audience groans.

Take it further and make the scene a combat scene — vets are already trained with weapons, with callouts, and with the gravity of the situation. It definitely translates.

It’s not just that we have quicker access to the authenticity of the character; vets bring a work ethic to set as well. I chatted with Marine Corps veteran Hiram Murray, one of the vets featured in the Jeep spot, who is also a professional actor, and he shared some observations.

“With military veterans, you have a built-in technical advisor. We all know that when you’re on set, time is money, but vets already know what to do. We know how to salute and how to walk and talk military. The thing about working with veterans is that we all know mission accomplishment. We all have the goal in mind,” Murray asserted.

So how do you go about finding real veterans for military roles?

Navy veteran Alan Pietruszewski is a fierce proponent of using what he calls “a veteran note” on audition breakdowns — the casting calls used on production sites to announce roles that are being cast.

Here’s an example of the note used for Army veteran Gary Neuger’s parajumping role:

“Must be a real, retired military captain (or above) who served on active duty. Paratrooping experience is a plus. PLEASE INDICATE MILITARY BRANCH, RANK, AND PARATROOPING EXPERIENCE IN SUBMISSION NOTES TO BE CONSIDERED FOR CASTING.”

Now, we’re still working with movie magic and safety, so that’s definitely a stunt performer leaping out of a grounded fuselage, but you had jump wings in the aircraft lending credence to the pre- and post-jump moments.

Credit here goes to Dan Bell Casting, a casting office that is well-known for their support of military veterans. Dan Bell Casting has also worked on other military-friendly projects like USAA; there’s no doubt why Jeep and Marvel selected them.

You can tell Jeep was stoked to work on this commercial, along with director Anthony Leonardi, because they also created some behind-the-scenes videos featuring the vets and their perspectives. For a working actor, booking a principal role in a commercial means a nice pay day.

Every time that commercial is renewed or edited for a different market, the residuals grow. Commercials are a great way for union performers to qualify for health care, so this kind of commercial can literally be life-changing.

And for an emerging actor, anything that helps open the door to the casting room is an opportunity to book those roles that will strengthen our resume and get eyes on our talent and craft. As a veteran and professional actor myself, I was proud as hell to see friends book this job.

I hope the teams at Stellantis, Jeep, Marvel, Dan Bell Casting, and beyond know how much this kind of support helps us and how much we appreciate it. On behalf of all #ActorsWhoServed, I give our thanks—and congratulations on a fun project!

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