Ryan Little's first project was short film "The Last Good War", which won a Student Emmy. Little wanted to produce a World War II themed feature film. In 2002, new director Ryan Little teamed up with film producer Adam Abel to create the film production company, Go Pictures. After finding a private investor in California, Little and Abel sought to produce the film on a budget of $780,000. The original title of the film was "Saints and War". Before the film had a script, the filmmakers scouted filming locations, determining the film's plot based on available locations and props. They researched World War II events and interviewed World War II veterans to develop the story and characters.