After the deaths of the five Sullivan brothers, the United States Navy named two ships after them. They were the Fletcher class destroyer, USS The Sullivans (DD-537) and the Arleigh Burke class destroyer, USS The Sullivans (DDG-68). The former was the first American navy vessel ever to be named after more than one person. Each of the two vessels shared the same motto which was the Sullivan brothers' motto: "We Stick Together."
According to the Australian DVD sleeve notes, this movie "was originally pulled from cinemas after its devastating effect on audiences of the time."
The movie implies that the brothers died at the same time. In reality, USS Juneau survivors reported that Joe, Matt and Frank died when the torpedo struck the ship, Al died of drowning the next day, while George lived for four to five days after the attack.
After the deaths of the brothers, their parents went on to assist in the war effort as a tribute to their five sons.
Steven Spielberg has stated that both the story of the Niland brothers and the Sullivan brothers acted as his inspiration for making Saving Private Ryan (1998).