This episode appears to be based on the 1997 sex scandal involving the U.S. Air Force and Lt. Kelly Flinn. On May 20, 1997, following an adulterous affair with a civilian soccer coach at Minot Air Force Base who was married to a female enlisted subordinate in her chain of command, Flinn was charged by the military with conduct unbecoming an officer, disobeying a lawful order (in writing, to stay away from the married man), making a false official statement in which she lied under oath to Air Force investigators, falsely telling them she had ended the affair, and fraternization (for an additional affair that she had with an enlisted man). Flinn's case, due in part to her high visibility in Air Force recruitment advertisements, drew national attention, eventually creating a media circus. The Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General Ronald Fogleman, testified at a congressional hearing that, "In the end, this is not an issue of adultery. This is an issue about an officer, entrusted to fly nuclear weapons, who lied." The media, however, largely treated the case as though Flinn were being tried by the military for the crime of adultery, and castigated the Air Force for allegedly firing her on moral grounds; a New York Times editorial on the case emphasized the adultery, rather than the actual military charges with which she was charged, and blamed the military's "antiquated adultery rules and their consistency in administering them, as well as their management training." Following the media outcry, Flinn was allowed to resign from the Air Force by Secretary of the Air Force Sheila Widnall with a general discharge instead of facing a court-martial. She later wrote a book recounting her experiences, entitled Proud to Be: My Life, The Air Force, The Controversy.
Jack Gwaltney has played three different characters over the course of the series:
- Episode 1.8 Poison Ivy (1990) - Officer Davis
- Episode 8.3 Navy Blues (1997) - Jack Young
- Episode 14.3 Patient Zero (2003) - Ian Hopkins
John Speredakos has played four different characters over the course of the series:
- Episode 2.18 Cradle to Grave (1992) - Dr. Orton.
- Episode 8.3 Navy Blues (1997) - William T. Ottenberg.
- Episode 15.5 Gunplay (2004) - Bob Ardall.
- Episode 20.23 Rubber Room (2010) - A.U.S.A. Schlicter.
Molly Price has played four different roles over the course of the series:
- Episode 2.6 Misconception (1991) - Amy Newhouse.
- Episode 6.15 Encore (1996) - OCCB Detective Jones.
- Episode 8.3 Navy Blues (1997) - Quartermaster Stroud.
- Episode 16.15 Choice of Evils (2006) - Allison Ashburn.
The murder victim's name is Robert J. Stroud. In real life, Robert F. Stroud was the "Birdman of Alcatraz". A convicted murderer serving a life sentence, he became a world famous ornithologist while in prison. The story was made into the movie Birdman of Alcatraz (1962) starring Burt Lancaster.