David Koresh called them his "Mighty Men." The paranoid cult leader had hand-picked them to enforce his bizarre rules and to protect himself from any intruders or enemies.

Known also as his Royal Guard, they all received training to use AK-47's and M-16's. They were the men of the compound - men who existed solely for the purpose of obeying his commands.

If the truth were known, Koresh desperately needed his commandos in order to survive. Typically he surrounded himself with men of expertise, means, and intelligence. They were highly educated and skilled in various fields such as computers, law, music, and building trades.

"The uncanny powers of a leader manifest themselves not so much in the hold he has on the masses as in his ability to dominate and almost bewitch a small group of able men," wrote Eric Hoffer. "These men must be fearless, proud, intelligent, and capable of organizing and running large-scale undertakings, and yet they must submit wholly to the will of the leader, draw their inspiration and driving force from him, and glory in this submission" (The True Believer, p. 106).

Although Koresh was gifted in manipulation and mind control, his obsession for control - manifested in his buildup of weapons and ammunition - was not something that he could accomplish alone. Therefore he hand-picked his personal assistants - his most trusted being Steve Schneider, 43, a silver-tongued and articulate religion teacher; and Douglas Wayne Martin, a Harvard-education lawyer. Both men died with Koresh in the Waco fire that reduced the compound to rubble.

So, what was life like for this inner circle of enforcers?

The rigidly structured days began early. The ringing of a bell roused the men around 5:15 a.m. They underwent military training by doing exercises, running a two-mile obstacle course, and then gathering for a plain breakfast of cooked cereal set out by the women. Koresh, meanwhile, always slept in late, usually showing up around 3:00 p.m.

Those, such as David Jones, 38 (a mail carrier in town), who held down regular jobs in the community left for work while the others endured hours of Bible study, pulled guard duty at a flea-infested shack on the edge of the property, assisted with construction duties, and dug tunnels around the compound.

All mass movements use action as a means of unification , and the Branch Davidians were no exception. Whether the faithful are clearing land, building cities, or renovating a Ranch Apocalypse, they are kept busy, incessantly busy.

This "call for action evokes an eager response in the frustrated," wrote Eric Hoffer. "For the frustrated see in action a cure for all that ails them. It brings self-forgetting and it gives them a sense of purpose and worth: (ibid., P. 112).

For the Branch Davidians, it may have helped them forget their unpleasant surroundings. One of the lucky ones, millionaire Paul Fatta often attended gun shows, and he traveled extensively to purchase weapons and ammunition. He was reportedly attending a fun show in Austin on February 28, the day federal agents raided the compound, and he did not return during the siege. However, he did later surrender to Texas Rangers in Houston after the holocaust.

Many of the Mighty Men of Koresh's cult were likable, sincere and were often described as devout. But the strange thread tying them all together seemed to be threat thy all were committed to a common vision. They all seemed to be looking for a grand event, a confrontation.

And true to militaristic fashion, if someone refused to follow orders, he was punished. Marc Breault, one of Koresh's former Mighty Men, said that "anytime anyone disobeyed, he'd (Koresh) have the whole camp fast. Everyone was always hungry.

"Koresh said someday we'd be in a war - and we had to bet used to food deprivation because there would be a time when everyone would be hungry, and we would survive longer because we would be used to it."

One of the main functions of Koresh's Mighty Men was to know how to use a weapon. Those who were experts taught the others, including women of all ages, how to shoot.

Because of his fear of a confrontation with the authorities, Koresh's goal at the compound was to make everyone a crack shot. Marc Breault said, "He knew he was on a collision course with the government, and he conditioned us to think the same thing - and it was one fight we were determined not to lose."

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