Several of the main characters were played by actual members of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team depicted in the film. The men saw action with the outfit in Italy and France.
Bakatare -a word heard many times during the movie -is a Japanese word for "stupid" or "foolish."
Twenty-one Medals of Honor were awarded to members of the 442 RCT.
Even though the 442nd Regimental Combat Team is the most decorated unit in US Army history, there is only one brief--VERY brief--scene of President Harry S. Truman pinning a medal on a soldier's chest, with no ceremony or dialogue. There is also an earlier reference, almost a throwaway line, by Lt. Grayson (Van Johnson) about awarding a soldier a medal.
The network television premiere was in 1979 on CBS, 28 years after premiering in theaters, possibly the longest interlude between theaters and television of any major movie since the advent of national broadcast television.