Jack Murphy: Journalism, fiction, and bringing the realities of Special Operations to the international public

Special Operations Forces (SOF) have been in the news a great deal since 9/11, when the United States entered wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. These teams, and the individuals within them, have subsequently fired up the imaginations of the American public, in addition to bringing attention to other international SOF teams, who before now, were mainly only known by those working with them in the field. These are international operators whose stories most often will never be known, except for the few who have come to American public attention in high-profile incidents such as in Somalia, Benghazi or the death of Osama bin Laden. But regardless of whether their work is known or unknown by the public, their existence has proved essential when it comes to any operation or mission in which the stakes are inordinately high.

Jack Murphy is an SOF veteran from both Iraq and Afghanistan whose work continues to address the realities faced by these special operators, both during their service and often afterward, when utilizing their experience and capacities in the private sector.