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Capt. Bill Albracht was an outstanding soldier. Graduating from high school in 1966, he was a recruiter’s dream: He wanted to join the airborne infantry. After basic training, he passed the Officer Candidate School exam. At the time, he thought all officers came from West Point. “OCS could’ve been Oklahoma Cooking School, for all I knew,” he said.
After OCS, Albracht thrived in Special Forces school, and then, he volunteered for service in Vietnam. He was absolutely determined to answer his country’s call to fight communism.
He arrived in Vietnam as a 21-year-old captain, very young for the rank and responsibility, but he’d received the best training. Eventually, he was assigned to command Firebase Kate, a Special Forces outpost with three artillery pieces. He arrived at 3:30 p.m. By 11:30, the North Vietnamese attacked. For the next five days, Albracht led 27 American soldiers and 150 Vietnamese militiamen against 6,000 North Vietnamese men. Only when all his artillery was destroyed and the outpost ceased to be a firebase did he withdraw.