Harrowing tale of Green Beret’s Vietnam valor drives push for Medal of Honor

[rangerrebew]

Harrowing tale of Green Beret’s Vietnam valor drives push for Medal of Honor
Todd South
 

Capt. William Albracht did not want to go to Firebase Kate.

“There was nothing going on there, not a damn thing,” Albracht said.

But what unfolded on that lonely hilltop, within spitting distance of the Cambodian border, in October 1969 would become the stuff of Army lore — a young Green Beret dropped into a force of untested artillery soldiers and allied troops surrounded and outnumbered 40 to 1, with no one coming to save them.

Albracht was 21 years old. He’d just pinned on his captain’s bars after having proved himself in special forces training, but he’d never commanded troops in the field or even heard a shot fired in combat. Yet, he’d been assigned to the executive officer billet for Special Forces Team A-236.

https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2020/10/01/harrowing-tale-of-green-berets-vietnam-valor-drives-push-for-medal-of-honor/

[sneakypete]

Sgt. 1st Class Lowell Stevens grabbed his arm at the opposite tree line.

@rangerrebew

I knew Lowell Stevens pretty well. He was a VERY good NCO. Probably on his third tour by then,not counting a 6 month TDY tour or two.

It was highly unusual for a Captain to be assigned as an XO on an A team back then. Captains were usually the team leaders,and the XO's were 2nd or 1st Lts.

I am guessing he was really an excess Captain they didn't have any openings for,so they sent him to that camp so he could learn the ropes before being assigned his own team.

From what I read in this news report,he learned quickly and well.