Olivia d'Abo plays a character essentially the same as her character Karen Arnold in The Wonder Years (1988), which had just premiered only 18 days earlier than this episode. Both series were produced by New World Television and depicted events taking place exactly twenty years in the past.
When Taylor, Percell and Ruiz are at the tattoo parlor, Ruiz suggested having a tattoo on his arm with the phrase "Born To Kill" which featured on a helmet in Full Metal Jacket (1987)
The model in the hospital lobby is of Tripler Army Hospital in Honolulu.
Opening blurb: More than 134,000 military personnel were severely wounded or disabled during the Vietnam War.
It is estimated that 351,000 Purple Hearts were awarded in Vietnam.