William Albracht

William "Bill" Albracht was an 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 (Rock Island, Illinois).

Military
At 21 years old, Captain William Albracht was the youngest Green Berets captain in Vietnam. He saved 150 lives during the evacuation of battle site Firebase Kate in the Quang Duc province of South Vietnam.

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 twenty-five years, Albracht served as a Secret Service Officer. During his time with the United States Secret Service, he guarded four American Presidents and numerous foreign officials. After his retirement, he managed Executive Security Operations for the Ford Motor Company.

In 2005, Captain Albracht returned to his hometown. He served on the Board of Quad Cities Chapter 299 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.

Writings
Along with Captain Marvin J. Wolf, Captain William Albracht wrote the book Abandoned in Hell: The Fight for Vietnam's Firebase Kate. It recounts Albracht's leadership in Vietnam, specifically his heroic actions on a remote hilltop outpost called Firebase Kate.