While Cotton is on the plane going to Japan we see that two of the medals he's authorized to wear are the Silver Star and Purple Heart.
In this episode we see Cotton being sent back to the U.S. aboard the Lane Victory. The S.S. Lane Victory is a 10,750 ton Victory ship she is 455 feet long and was launched in 1945. Her maiden voyage was on June 27, 1945. She also saw duty in Korea and Viet Nam. In 1970 she was placed in the reserve and because she was in such good condition she was preserved and eventually chosen as a museum ship and is docked in San Pedro and remains in sailing condition (as of 2009).