The two lead actors, Michael Welch and Lauren Rys Martin, were brought in from LA for the movie. The rest of the cast are Michigan based actors with Kayla Kelly traveling from the Upper Peninsula. The secondary cast or extras were almost all cast from the Air Zoo staff with many of them being ex-military.
Kayla Kelly, who plays the ex-wife of Michael Welch, served in the National Guard.
A Christmas Hero is the first feature film to be allowed to shoot at the Kalamazoo Air Zoo.