(at around 32 mins) Clint's son Scott Eastwood appeared in this movie as Trey. He is credited under his birth name, Scott Reeves. Scott wasn't really publicly acknowledged until 2006 - hence, the name.
Writers Nick Schenk and Dave Johannson knew some of the Hmongs near the steel mill where they worked. They wrote the script on pieces of paper during lunch breaks.
(at around 4 mins) The "cool medal" the kids find in Walt's basement is the Silver Star, the U.S. Military's third-highest award for valor in combat. Despite its predominately gold color, it gets its name from the smaller silver star (based on the small silver World War I Citation Star) set inside the large gold star.