Senator Dan Duffy (R-Lake Barrington) joined several Senate Republicans and Democrats to sponsor and pass a resolution on April 16 that honors the service of Vietnam veteran Captain William Albracht.
“Captain Albracht is the epitome of an American military hero,” said Sen. Duffy. “He saved the lives of nearly 150 Americans and Allied Soldiers during the Vietnam War and deserves to be recognized for his heroic actions.”
Senate Resolution 198 calls on Congress, the Department of the Army, and the Department of Defense to review Captain Albracht's heroic actions at Firebase Kate and, if warranted, upgrade the Silver Star Medal bestowed on him for those actions to the Medal of Honor.
In October 1969, Captain Albracht, the youngest Special Forces Captain in Vietnam, took command of Firebase Kate. The morning after his arrival at the hilltop outpost, 6,000 North Vietnamese soldiers crossed the Cambodian border and began a siege on the base that lasted for five days.
After five days – with the base running out of ammunition, food and water – Albracht made the decision to lead his troops off Firebase Kate on a daring night escape through the jungle and across enemy lines to safety on the other side. Albracht’s actions saved nearly 150 American and Allied Soldiers. It was the only time during the Vietnam War that an entire unit that had been surrounded by the North Vietnamese survived intact.
“On April 16, I joined my Senate colleagues in asking the United States Congress, the Department of the Army, and the Department of Defense to recognize Captain Albracht as an American hero by awarding him the United States Medal of Honor,” said Sen. Duffy.