The other day, I wrote a little about Bill Albracht and his experiences at Firebase Kate. So, yesterday, I put the two files that I have of the radio traffic and put them on YouTube. The first video is of the conversations between Bill (callsign Chickenhawk) and Al Dykes (callsign Spooky 41) the Spooky gunship pilot who passed away recently, during the early hours of October 31, 1969 while Al poured Spooky’s gunfire through the darkness on the NVA who had surrounded the base.
The second video is the radio traffic on November 2, 1969 when Captain Albracht was leading his small force seven miles to the nearest camp through the jungle and 6000 NVAs.
If you’re like me and you gave your hearing in service to our country, you’ll probably want to use the transcript to follow along. You can download the Word file here;
In case you’ve missed the other conversations we’ve had about Bill Albracht and Firebase Kate, here’s the first we had in October and the one we had on Sunday.
ADDED: we just got word that for those of you lucky enough (?) to live in the Chicago area, Bill Albracht has scheduled two book signing events on the 5th and 7th of February.
Wow, thanks for posting these. Amazing piece of combat history there.
You couldn’t make up more drama than real life accounts like this. Thank you Jonn.
i really want to listen but i’m going to save them for after i read the book.
I forgot to mention that the pictures in the videos are pictures that will be used in the book.
Balls.
“Happy Halloween. Spooky’s around”
With one badass Pez dispenser.
Trick or treat, Charlie.
I’m still amazed by the fact that Bill Albracht was all of 21 years old at the time.
Think about that. Twenty-freaking-one. Go to a major college campus and find me one of those kids capable of being that cool under fire, and doing what he did.
Amazing on so many levels.
True that, and by my calculations, Spooky41 was the ripe old age of 30.
RIP MAJ. Dykes. What a great thing you did.
John I have read your blog for some time now. I was born in 1976, and one of the subjects I constantly read everything I could get my hands on as a kid was Vietnam. Probably besides that and just the inevitability I would join the Army, this chatter is perhaps the best late Christmas present. Thank you quite much. I am very looking to the book. I am probably quite sure it will hold a special spot on my shelf. Thank you again for putting this together.
*And sorry for the off grammar. Very cold here in Missouri….
Jonn, that’s a true treasure. Thanks for posting this.
Wow. That’s great stuff. “It’s kind of like Pearl Harbor, a little nip in the air”
I owe a debt to all Vietnam veterans – the ones who stayed after the war were the ones who trained me and beat the living shit out of me on a daily basis and made me the soldier I became. It’s debt that I can never repay except in small ways like this. I hope we can make Bill Albracht a household name because that’s what he deserves. He should be an example to every leader that the military molds.
“This story shall the good man teach his son.”
Thank you for your service to our Country.
When I went in the Army my Platoon Sgt was a Vietnam vet and he was hard but fair. I shall never forget him. SFC Barker
DAMN, all I can say is DAMN. It always amazes me the heroes that went before us. Like you Jonn many of my NCO’s were Vietnam vets (I enlisted in 87) and they made me the soldier and airman I became. This is a great piece of combat history. I look forward to the book.
ADDED: we just got word that for those of you lucky enough (?) to live in the Chicago area, Bill Albracht has scheduled two book signing events on the 5th and 7th of February.
I was there on the hill during the battle and made the E&E of the hill with Captain Albracht leading us off. I can attest to the fact that he is one helluva leader and great man.
No no no… Mr Koon…
You do not get off that easy, you are now assigned to write it all down and let us read it.
Many on here will be more than happy to help you, me included.
We are losing the history of the Second World War by way of those that participated dying off without telling their stories.
It has now fallen to you Vietnam Veteran’s to tell the real stories of the real war on the ground and not after going through the liberal filter of the media.
Please feel free to contact me, Jonn has my email address, I hope that your story from the other end of the line of march is told before you guys start kicking off in a big way…
Outstanding…simply outstanding…….leadership under fire……
This is awesome. Spent 2 hours listening. What balls. Couldnt read the transcript tho said I didnt have the program to open.
It’s a .doc file. You should be able to save it and open it with MS Word, or there are probably many free .doc readers available if you do not have MS Word application. Hope that helps.
Thunderstixx, The book Abandoned in Hell will be out the first part of February. I have not had the opportunity to read an advanced copy of the book but I was interviewed for my input on the siege of Kate and also interviewed for a documentary being made about the battle. I feel the authors, Albracht and Wolf, have done an outstanding job compiling all the facts from extensive research, interviews and participants memories to give an accurate account of the siege. I anxiously await the release of the book and I’m sure you will find it a worthwhile read.