View source for 20th Special Forces Group

[[Image:20th Special Forces Group flash.gif|right]]
The '''20th Special Forces Group (Airborne)''' is an Army National Guard special forces unit based at the [[Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport]]. Its area of responsibility is the 32-nation Southern Command, covering the Caribbean, Central America and South America. Its nearly 2,000 soldiers are commanded by Colonel [[James Craig]].

The group was organized at the [[Homewood National Guard Armory]] on [[July 8]], [[1961]]. In [[1963]] the group moved to the [[Oporto National Guard Armory]] at 5601 [[Oporto-Madrid Boulevard]], where it was headquartered until moving to a new armory at the airport in [[2009]].

The group has been activated for missions in Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan and Latin America.

==Allegations of involvement in King assassination==
Steve Tompkins, a ''Memphis Commercial Appeal'' reporter, and William Pepper, attorney for [[James Earl Ray]], spread allegations that a "team of Green Berets" from the 20th SFG was in Memphis "carrying out an unknown mission" on [[April 4]], [[1968]], the day that [[Martin Luther King, Jr]] was assassinated. Their claims were attributed to uncredited sources, and later discredited entirely by Colonel [[Lee Mize]], General William Yarborough, General [[Henry Cobb]] and officials at the Special Forces Association. [[Billy Ray Eidson]], an operative named in Pepper's book (which claimed he had died) was informed of the allegations and successfully sued Pepper and his publishers for libel.

==Units==
* Group Support Company, Jacksonville, Alabama
* Detachment 1, Group Support Company, Louisville, Kentucky
* Group Military Intelligence Detachement, Birmingham, Alabama
* 146th Weather Flight, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
* 1st Battalion, Huntsville, Alabama
* 2nd Battalion, Jackson, Mississippi
* 3rd Battalion, Starke, Florida (Camp Blanding)

==References==
* Branston, John (July 17, 1997) "Double Exposure: How a Reporter's 'Scoop' in the King Assassination Turned into a Prime-time Embarassment." ''Memphis Flyer''
* Gordon, Tom (July 19, 2009) "Alabama Army Guard's 20th Special Forces Group changes commanders." ''Birmingham News''

==External links==
* [http://alguard.state.al.us/20thSFG.htm 20th Special Forces Group (ABN)] at alguard.state.al.us
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/20sfg.htm 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne)] at globalsecurity.org
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXhJl4bXLQQ video of 20th SFG] at YouTube.com

[[Category:Military units]]
[[Category:Birmingham airport]]
[[Category:1961 establishments]]