HR0290 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

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HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Capt. William Albracht served as the senior ground commander at Firebase Kate, a fortified position in the Central Highlands of South Vietnam near the Cambodian border, and was tasked with interdicting North Vietnamese Army (NVA) movements along the Ho Chi Minh Trail and restricting the enemy's ability to attack Special Forces camps in the area; by late October 1969, about 5,000 NVA troops had surrounded the firebase and were preparing to attack; Capt. Albracht and fellow Special Forces soldier Sgt. Daniel Pierelli prepared the troops for the inevitable battle, which finally began on October 28, 1969; and

WHEREAS, The NVA began its siege of Firebase Kate on the night of October 28, when a Civilian Irregular Defense Group patrol ran into the forward elements of an NVA regiment; the NVA troops, who outnumbered Kate's defenders by about 40 to one, launched their first assault around 11:30 the next morning; NVA troops mercilessly attacked Firebase Kate with small arms fire, mortars, artillery, and B-40 rockets, but Kate's defenders drove them off; despite the valiant efforts of the defenders at Kate, NVA attacks were slowly wearing them down; Capt. William Albracht, wounded during the attack on October 29, chose to stay at Kate to lead the remaining besieged troops during the assaults; and

WHEREAS, Seeing that his position was untenable, Capt. William Albracht radioed Special Forces Operations and requested permission to escape from Firebase Kate with his soldiers; after obtaining permission from his superiors, he decided to make his escape on November 1; Capt. Albracht and Sgt. Pierelli drew up an escape-and-evasion plan, arranged for gunships to protect them as they left Kate, and explained carefully to the troops how they would link up with a Special Forces detachment waiting for them in a concealed position about 3 miles away; and

WHEREAS, After sabotaging everything at the base that could be used by the NVA, Capt. William Albracht and his soldiers began their trek at about 10 P.M. on November 1, 1969, knowing that the NVA would be looking for them and would not take prisoners; the NVA immediately lit the area with flares as the men fled down the North Slope, through a small gap in the wood line, and up the side of Ambush Hill; after dodging NVA patrols and ambushes, Capt. Albracht and his men reached Mike Force at 3 A.M. on November 2, 1969; During the final evacuation, Capt. Albracht wound up crossing the open field three times, on each occasion exposing himself to the enemy, to make sure his men were safe; and

WHEREAS, Capt. William Albracht has been the recipient of 3 Silver Stars, 3 Purple Hearts, 5 Bronze Stars (3 for valor), 2 Air Medals (one for valor), and an Army Commendation Medal (for valor), but was not awarded the Medal of Honor for his courageous acts at Firebase Kate:; and

WHEREAS, The members of this body believe that the gallantry displayed by Captain William Albracht on those fateful days deserves to be further reviewed by the Department of the Army and the Department of Defense in order to determine if his actions are worthy of this nation's highest military honor; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge Congress, the Department of the Army, and the Department of Defense to again review Captain Albracht's heroic actions at Firebase Kate and, if warranted, upgrade the Silver Star bestowed on him for those actions to the Medal of Honor; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the President, the Speaker and Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, and the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate.