Fort Riley ? Soldiers from this post played a leading role in the new “Army Strong” campaign, which is hitting television and the Internet just in time for Veterans Day.

The campaign began Wednesday on the Internet and the 60-second television commercials began Thursday night, running on network and cable television. Veterans Day is Saturday.

A production crew spent two weeks filming the commercials at Fort Riley, casting the parts from soldiers stationed at the post. Figuring prominently in the roles were soldiers from the 1st Infantry Division. In the commercial’s opening, a close up of the “Big Red One” patch sets the scene.

The new slogan replaces “Army of One,” which the Army used for the past five years, but never struck the same chord as the “Be all you can be” slogan from the 1980s.

“It’s really great. It’s better for sure,” said Chief Warrant Officer Verdo Jackson, a Blackhawk pilot. “It’s aggressive. It’s in your face.”

Jackson’s vignette on the Internet shows him describing his job, the training and the pride he has in being a pilot.

Army Secretary Francis Harvey said last month that officials hope a new advertising campaign and slogan will help lure more high-quality recruits into military service.

The Army awarded McCann Erickson the contract for the new campaign after five years with Leo Burnett Worldwide. McCann Erickson, of New York, is known for developing MasterCard’s “priceless” campaign, as well as handling accounts for Microsoft, Black & Decker and General Mills Corp.

The new Army campaign is also aimed at helping with retention, Harvey said.

“It really does show in real terms what it means to be a soldier,” Harvey said of the ad campaign.

Jackson called the campaign “down to earth.”

Spec. Alysha Ford, a Blackhawk crew member, said he was pleased with the production crew’s effort to make the ads as realistic as possible.

“It really turned out better than I thought. I was nervous about it. It’s awesome,” Ford said.