Randy Martinez and Joe Hernandez are best friends. They met in 1979 and quickly recognized they had lots in common. They were good students, they enjoyed sports, they were practical jokers, and they both liked the music of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.

They were born and raised in the working class neighborhood of La Puente, a community of about 80,000 located near East Los Angeles. After graduating from Bassett High School in 1985 and 1986 respectively, they each went off to different universities.

For six years, they hardly saw each other and spoke only on occasion. They...