Army was also eager to work with Hollywood on a film that countered negative stereotypes of female soldiers. Walking a fine line, the Army demanded numerous script rewrites, avoiding anything that suggested that women joining the military made them masculine, while also avoiding scripts that made them too feminine, potentially feeding gossip regarding prostitution and sexual promiscuity.

While initial reaction to the film at a limited screening in Washington D.C. was positive, critics panned the picture when it was released nationally.