ABSTRACT
The Second World War is generally considered the birthplace of modern Special Operations Forces (SOF). In combination with increased globalization and social media platforms, and of paramount importance to this discussion, SOF's rise was not limited to the battlefield. Individuals in high reliability organizations such as SOF must have confidence in their personal and collective ability to perform the tasks at hand. Paradoxically, given that SOF generally derive from conventional forces, conventional forces soldiers often shared their commanders' dislike of SOF. Politicians in power and their senior military advisors have also benefited from the growing public awareness of SOF and their popularity. The dynamic interpretations of SOF all combine to create a SOF mosaic. The general public's view of SOF is largely based on media accounts as well as Hollywood portrayals. Hollywood has always loved the appeal of the somewhat rogue, ultra-masculine warrior who can single-handedly save the world.
