William Albracht
William "Bill" Albracht is an American author and former US Army captain in the Vietnam War. He is a recipient of three Silver Stars, and is the author of Abandoned in Hell: The Fight for Vietnam's Firebase Kate.
Early life
William Albracht was born and raised in Rock Island, Illinois.In 1966, he graduated from Alleman High School.
Career
Military
At 21 years old, Albracht was the youngest Green Beret captain in Vietnam. In October 1969 Albracht took command of a remote hilltop outpost called Firebase Kate in the Quang Doc Province of South Vietnam, held by 27 American soldiers and 156 Montagnard militiamen. At dawn the next morning, three North Vietnamese Army regiments crossed the Cambodian border and attacked. Albracht's men held off repeated ground assaults by the Communist forces. After five days Kate's defenders were out of ammunition and water. Albracht led his troops off the hill and on a night march through enemy lines, a feat never duplicated during the Vietnam War. He saved 150 lives during the evacuation of the battle site Firebase Kate.Albracht was awarded three Silver Stars for his actions in the Vietnam War. He has also received three Purple Hearts and five Bronze Stars.
After the war
For 25 years, Albracht served as a United States Secret Service agent. During his time with the Secret Service, he guarded five American presidents and numerous foreign officials. After his retirement, he managed executive security operations for the Ford Motor Company.In 2005, Albracht returned to his hometown. He served on the board of the Quad Cities chapter of Vietnam Veterans of America for five years, and was its president for two terms.
In the 2012 election for the Illinois State Senate in the 36th district, Albracht made an unsuccessful bid for political office as a Republican against Senator Mike Jacobs.