Chris Van Etten is a former U.S. Marine who is not afraid to show ’em what’s underneath.

Underneath, for Van Etten, is perseverance and inner strength, the sort that helped him survive devastating injuries as a soldier.

Underneath his street clothes are a pair of prosthetic legs, as well as a pair of Jockey boxer briefs.

Van Etten is one of the three faces (and bodies) representing a new Jockey International campaign titled “Show ’Em What’s Underneath” developed to mark the company’s 140th anniversary.

According to company spokesperson Matthew Waller, the ad concept “celebrates the spirit of individuality; people’s true colors...imperfections and all.”

For Van Etten, the company’s message is a perfect fit.

The maker of underwear and apparel that got its start in Kenosha marked the start of its new campaign with a visit by Van Etten to its flagship store in downtown Kenosha Tuesday morning.

Here Van Etten, 25, shared his journey from battlefield to ad campaign trail.

The son of military parents, Van Etten, then living in the St. Louis area, signed on with the Marines in 2009 right after high school. His first deployment included Okinawa and Guam; for his second, in 2012, he was sent to Afghanistan.

On June 13 of that year, he was helping a fellow marine who had just been hit by an improvised explosive device when a second IED went off, severely damaging both his legs.

After surgery at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington DC, Van Etten began his journey of recovery in San Diego, Calif. It was, by his own admission, a bit rocky for a while. “There was a lull when I hit a low point,” he said.

Van Etten pulled out of his slump when he began working out at a gym. “A light bulb went off; I realized that as a double amputee I wanted to give something back; I wanted to spread the message that everyone is special and has a purpose,” he said.

He took some modeling jobs, but many of these missed the mark. “A lot of people didn’t care about my message, they wanted to exploit me,” Van Etten said.

Earlier this year, a friend sent him a casting call from Jockey International seeking an amputee veteran. He accepted the job before finding out the premise of the campaign.

“After Jockey told me what the campaign was actually about, I got excited,” Van Etten said.“Jockey wants to show ‘what’s underneath’ and that is the image of strength and what people can do.”

Van Etten’s personal goals are to remain active and healthy. He enjoys playing wheelchair lacrosse and since 2014 has been involved with Homes for Our Troops, an organization that builds specially adapted houses for severely disabled veterans. He is also currently engaged and in the fall plans to begin business school in San Diego.

Following Tuesday morning in Kenosha, Van Etten was on his way to Milwaukee to throw out the first ball at the Brewers-Dodgers game, and from there on to promotional stops in New York, Washington DC, San Diego and Los Angeles.

“I like to think I’m capable (of) doing anything,” Van Etten said.

Jockey’s three spokespersonsChris Van Etten is one of three people chosen to represent the Jockey International’s “Show ‘Em What’s Underneath” campaign, in celebration of the company’s 140th anniversary.

In print, television and website ads, Van Etten is joined by Lisa Cusimano, a firefighter, and Michael Cottone, a new adoptive father.

The stories of each of the spokespersons, as well as their themes, are shown on videos on the company website. Cusimano’s title is “Show ’Em Courage, Cottone’s is “Show ’Em Family” and Van Etten’s is “Show ’Em Perseverance.”

The video stories can be viewed at: www.jockey.com/showem.