Star Tom Cruise was actually born on the third of July.
The entire film was shot in shades of red, white, or blue, depending on the emotional level (battle scenes are all in reddish hues, dream sequences in white, sadness in blue, etc).
Charlie Sheen was considered for the part of Ron Kovic.
Cameo: [Abbie Hoffman] a war/draft protester.
Cameo: [Ron Kovic] WWII veteran in the parade at the beginning.
Director Cameo: [Oliver Stone] the reporter interviewing the military official on television near the beginning of the film.
Including cameos by Oliver Stone there are at least 11 other actors credited in this film that also appeared in Oliver Stone's earlier Vietnam War film "Platoon".
During the demonstration, one of the speakers says that the Bronze Star and Purple Heart honors he earned in Vietnam mean nothing. These are the same two honors that director Oliver Stone received after serving in Vietnam.
When Ron is sitting at a desk in Mexico, the book "All Quiet on the Western Front" is shown on the desk. It is considered one of the greatest anti-war books ever written.
Originally Al Pacino was set to star as Ron Kovic with Brian De Palma attached to direct. However the project fell through due to financial problems. Ten years later the film was made with Tom Cruise as Ron Kovic with Oliver Stone directing.
A copy of "Johnny Got His Gun," a popular anti-war novel about WW1, is visible on Ron's hospital bed when he learns he will never walk again. In the novel, the main character is a soldier who is mutilated beyond recognition in a war; he has lost both of his arms and legs as well as his sight and hearing.
Oliver Stone's then wife Elizabeth is mentioned in the closing credit roll as Naijo No Ko. This Japanese term means "with the help of my wife" or, more colloquially, "I owe my success to my better half".
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