Due to the U.S. Government's perception that the film's story was anti-government, the U.S. Department of Defense refused to rent the production military-spec Huey or Jet Ranger helicopters. As such, helicopters were bought and repainted for use in the movie.
Gene Hackman asked his good friend and co-star in Cisco Pike (1971), Kris Kristofferson, himself a former Airborne Ranger, if he wanted to do a cameo in this film. Kristofferson had to decline because he was performing on a concert tour.
The movie's title refers to an inscription on the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial monument in Washington, D.C., also known as the Iwo Jima Memorial. It states: "Where uncommon valor was a common virtue". This statement is a tribute by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz to the fighting men on Iwo Jima. The memorial bears two inscriptions, the other being, "In honor and memory of the men of the United States Marine Corps who have given their lives to their country since 10 November 1775."
After Rambo (1982), this was Ted Kotcheff's second consecutive film dealing with Vietnam War veterans.