Purpose

In July 1953, a 25-year-old student at Hebrew University in Jerusalem was preparing for an exam when he was summoned by his reserve battalion commander in the Israeli Defense Force. He was asked to blow up the home of a known terrorist across the Jordanian border. The operation failed. Not only had the terrorist left town, the charges didn't detonate and the team was detected by enemy hosts. On his return, the student told his commander that a special unit was needed for such operations, dismissing the matter summarily to return to his history exam. Returning to the safety of his books and papers, little did this student realize that not only would the IDF take his advice, but would within a month place him at the head of this new unit.

The student's name was Ariel Sharon, and the group he created was Unit 101.

Sources:
Warrior: An Autobiography, by Ariel Sharon and David Chanoff. Simon & Schuster, New York, 2001.
Lionhearts: Heroes of Israel, edited by Michael Bar-Zohar. Warner Books and the Israeli Ministry of Defence Publishing House, New York, 1998.