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Pfc. Alexander Contreras, of Channel-view, is stationed at Fort Wainwright, Alaska. He is a finalist in PETA's "Cutest Vegan" contest.

When Alexander Contreras was 12, he went to see "Finding Nemo" for the third time. A line from the movie, "Fish are friends, not food," stuck with him.

Then when he was 17, he saw the pro-animal documentary "Glass Walls" and, later, the documentary "Earthlings." By November 2010, Alex was a full-blown vegan, meaning he doesn't eat any animal products at all.

That's not so remarkable these days, but here's the kicker: Alex, now 20, is in the U.S. Army. And People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has named him one of 10 male finalists in its "Cutest Vegan" contest. (Go to peta2.com and click on "Contests" to vote for him.) If he wins, he gets a professional photo shoot and a starring role in a PETA2 ad.

Pfc. Contreras is stationed at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, near Fairbanks, which is a long, long way from his home in Channelview. This time of year, the sun doesn't even set. "The sun is up constantly," Alex says. "It gets a little dim around 4 a.m., but that's all."

A friend told him about the PETA contest. "I'm not really conceited, but I decided to go for it," he says.

He figured he could make a point. "The reason I want to win is to show that if as an infantryman, one of the most strenuous jobs in the United States, I can do it," he says, "then I think anybody in the civilized world can do it with ease."

Alex hasn't always had an easy time making a go of a vegan diet in the Army. When he's out in the field, he often has to take his food with him. But he credits his company's executive officer for supporting his diet choice and even working with the chow hall on his behalf.

"It's a myth that it's very expensive," Alex explains. "You just have to sit down and do your research."

He reports that he's just polished off three vegan burritos and he had cereal with almond milk for breakfast. "I eat all the time," he says.

Alex's parents aren't vegans, but he says his mother follows a healthful diet and his father is working on it, though being a Louisiana native, he can't quite give up some foods.

Alex has been in Alaska just about a year, so the diet has seen him through the climate extremes, including training in temperatures of 50 degrees below zero.

He originally joined the Army to get money for college. "But I'm starting to like Army life," he says. "I like the stability." So a military career is not out of the question.

If Alex decides against an Army life, he'd like to chase his dream of becoming an artist. He paints in oils and acrylics now.

"If I stick around, I'll do that as a hobby," he says. His paintings include one called "Assembly Line Murder," which depicts a slaughtered cow.

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