Abandoned in Hell; The Fight for Vietnam’s Firebase Kate

Bill’s Fox & Friends appearance on February 4th has been postponed because of the weather in the Chicago area.

As regulars here know, I’ve been communicating with William “Bill” Albracht over the last few months after he came across the post I wrote about him a few months ago. He was awarded his third Silver Star in 2012 for his actions on Firebase Kate during his short command of the firebase in October and November of 1969. Bill was a 21-year-old Captain, newly arrived in Vietnam. I asked him how he became the youngest Captain in that country and he explained;

As far as making captain at 21, I went in the army in 1966 at 18. Took a battery of tests and one was the Officer Candidate Test. I passed it.

I was TOLD due to the junior grade office shortage, I would be going and Infantry OCS which seemed a natural for a guy who joined for Airborne, Infantry & Vietnam. I Started OCS in April of 1967, turned 19 in early mid August and was commissioned on 31 August, 1967. Volunteered for SF and away I go. Arrived VN in August of 1969 (officer promotions were accelerated then – one year from 2nd to 1st LT – one year from 1st LT to Captain) due to the war. About 2+ weeks after I arrived in country, I was promoted to 0-3.

Also on Firebase Kate was the XO of Charlie Battery 5/27 Artillery, 1LT Mike Smith who described Firebase Kate;

When I first saw it, I thought Damn, this is great! We could see everything. Kate was on a little hill out in the middle of a lot of valleys…It was a bald hill with lots of tree cover around it, grassy, but not incredibly tall grass.

Bill Albracht assumed command of the firebase on October 28th, 1969 and it’s 27 Americans and about 150 Civilian Irregular Defense Group (CIDG) Montagnards. The following day, Firebase Kate was attacked by three North Vietnamese regiments – about 6,000 troops. After five days of continuous battle, Big Army wrote off the tiny base and it’s defenders – the commanders refused to reinforce or resupply the small force. The young commander, known on the radio by his callsign “Chickenhawk”, found himself solely responsible for those lives.

Five days after taking command of the base, Captain Albracht found himself leading his small force of artillerymen and “Yards” through the jungle, the darkness and thousands of NVA to the next firebase about seven miles away. The close air support elements were low on fuel and ammo waiting for relief as they set out with the Special Forces Captain in the lead. But you’ll have to read the book to find out what happened.

In case you missed it a few weeks ago when when I posted it, here is the radio traffic from October 31st as Chickenhawk directs the traffic over his firebase and fires from Spooky 41, Al Dykes.

The second video is the radio traffic from the night of November 2d as Albracht and his small force made their way to the Mike Force (rescue forces) and the relative safety of the closest firebase through the legions of NVA.

Thanks to Ken Moffett, who discovered the story of Bill Albracht while he was a congressional aide, Bill is now being considered for the Medal of Honor.

So, I bring this book up now because it goes on sale tomorrow at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Also, on the 4th, Wednesday morning, Bill will appear on Fox & Friends.

If you live in the Chicago area, Bill has a book signing at the Moline Public Library on February 12th at 6PM.

I don’t ask you guys for much, but order the book, and watch F&F. Not for me – for those Vietnam veterans, not just Bill and the survivors of Firebase Kate, but all of them who went and did their job, regardless of how thankless the job turned out. Bill sent me this quote the other day that he says was “dead nuts on”;

If there was immorality in the war in Vietnam, it was that a democratic nation called her citizens to war, had them killed by the tens of thousands and then, like a faithless lover, turned and scorned the survivors. – ONCE A WARRIOR KING by David Donovan

Category: Book Review