The men wear the patches of the 24th infantry division, which did in fact see combat in the early part of the Korean War.
The Colonel played by Robert Keith is the father of actor Brian Keith.
As of March 2022 these cast members are still alive... L.Q. Jones and Nehemiah Persoff
Aldo Ray and L Q Jones also starred together in the 1955 film "Battle Cry". This was the film where the name of the character "L Q Jones" was adopted by the actor L Q Jones. The two actors also appeared together in another war film in 1958, "The Naked and the Dead."
Composer (Elmer Bernstein) trademark - treatment of the wind ensemble in the manner of Aaron Copland.