By Al Bates
Late in 1942, a small group of young American men dressed in khaki could be seen practicing their marching skills on the streets of the small rural community of Prescott, Arizona. On closer look, their garb was far from uniform. While all wore khaki shirts and pants, some wore web belts round their waists while others wore belts of leather. Some wore black shoes while others wore brown. They were all bareheaded, and only a few wore any insignia. Who were these 28 young men and what were they doing in the mountains of central Arizona far from any military base in the first year of America's participation in World War II?