As you may well have seen by now, ABC is heavily into promoting the hiring of veterans and honoring those who've served in the military all across its Home for the Holidays campaign this year. From featuring vets in cameo roles on series like "Modern Family" and "The Neighbors" to showcasing veterans' stories on ABC News, to a veteran-themed storyline on "General Hospital" and more, it's a full court network press for a hugely worthy cause.

Part of the campaign has five short films that were written by veterans being unveiled on ABC.com. The network also remembered its own when it came to showcasing vets' talents — and that is how "Castle's" Jon Huertas came to direct "A Homecoming," which was written by First Lieutenant Donna Bachler. It debuts tomorrow, Dec. 13.

Fans know Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito. He's also a veteran of the U.S. Air Force. "I went to an event that Veterans in Film and Television was part of and ran into Bob Schefferine there," explains Huertas, referring to ABC executive Robert Schefferine. "He started talking about the whole 'Home for the Holidays' campaign and asked me if I would be interested in directing something. I told him, 'Yeah, absolutely. Anything that has to do with veterans, I'm a proponent of, being a veteran myself.'

"He told me they were holding this competition for budding writers who happened to be veterans, doing screenplays, as part of their initiative to hire veterans. I was really inspired by it myself, and since I'm starting to get behind the camera, it was a perfect opportunity."

Huertas immediately glommed onto Bachler's story of a man and dog reunion among the ideas presented to him. He is a former board member of an organization called Puppies Behind Bars that has prison inmates training military, law enforcement and service dogs, "so I know what they can do and how they fearlessly put their lives on the line for their handlers. There is an amazing bond between these working dogs and their handlers; they're super enthusiastic. This script was about that bond."

A casting session for the short — resulting in Jeremy Ferdman's selection as the lead — took place after Huertas finished a 12-hour day on the "Castle" set. "I thought it was going to be hell, but it was so amazing to be on the other side for that audition process, to see these actors work so hard to make the connection with the material," he says.

For the dog, he turned to a company called A-List Animals that has supplied horses for "Castle" and a variety of critters for TV and films including Matt Damon's "We Bought a Zoo."

"It costs a lot of money to have an animal that highly trained on a set, and a handler. Instead of charging us for that time, they donated it, because it was for veterans," he discloses.

The shooting was done in one extremely hectic day — a great chance for Huertas to exercise his directing chops. He's been developing his directing and producing career for several years with a number of indie film credits under his belt. The latest: a short called "The Box," which he directed and in which he stars with "Castle" cast mate Tamala Jones. "I like to keep it in the family," says Huertas with a smile. Andrew Bikichky, a "Castle" camera operator, co-directed.

"It's out to about 20 festivals right now," Huertas reports. "It's an 1840 period piece about two slaves who meet each other inside a box."

Huertas says "I've had the inclination toward directing for awhile. 'Castle' has allowed me to pursue this other dream. I've been able to shadow our director, Rob Bowman, and others. Our camera guys have been teaching me ... I am really fortunate." He's set to direct a feature in April, and there's talk of his taking the helm for an upcoming "Castle" episode.

He sees the popular show going on at least one more year, since everyone's contract goes through the seventh season, according to him. "We're doing really well in overall numbers. We're the No. 1 scripted show on ABC," he points out.

While he gives credit to "Castle," Huertas talks about his stint in the military as life-forming. "It's been almost 20 years since I was in the Air Force, but it's still very much a part of who I am. It allowed me to learn disciplione and initiative. It made me the man I am, the actor I am, today. Riding the coattails of ABC's campaign, I have to say you can't do better than hiring a veteran. They'll be ready and on time and do what they can to go above and beyond."