One of the few films made by Cannon Film Distributors that wasn't produced by either Menahem Golan or Yoram Globus.
Originally filmed under the title "NAM" before being changed to "Platoon Leader" to cash in on the success of Oliver Stone's Platoon (1986).
Chuck Norris was considered for the lead role.
The movements that McNamara does when jumping off the sandbags, then jumping out of the helicopter (feet and knees together, hands on the sides of the reserve chute), are the movements of a paratrooper exiting an aircraft.