Jocko Podcast 529: Firebase Kate Was Under Siege, Surrounded, Outgunned. With Capt. Bill "Hawk" Albracht
41 snips
Feb 25, 2026 
Capt. Bill "Hawk" Albracht, a former U.S. Army Special Forces captain and author known for leading the defense and breakout from Firebase Kate, shares raw combat memories. He recounts siege tactics, desperate resupply and airstrike decisions, the breakout under fire, and his later Secret Service career. Short, tense chapters cover leadership, survival, and coming home.
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Use Tracers As Improvised Target Markers
- Using tracer rounds as improvised markers let Albracht visually mark targets for an FAC when jungle features blurred.
- He fired prepared tracer magazines at precise points so the FAC could vector fast movers onto enemy positions.
Gunship Crash Ended Close Air Insertions
- A Huey gunship was hit, exploded, and killed its crew moments after providing cover for resupply, a trauma that haunted survivors.
- The crash stopped further close air insertion for a time because bringing birds low became suicidal.
B-52 Strike Came Too Close But Helped Save Kate
- A 324-bomb B-52 strike landed half a kilometer from Kate, shaking the ground and killing one striker from shrapnel.
- Albracht called the strike with little warning and later learned the enemy received alerts from ship broadcasts.
