Operation Babylift

This began as a comment on a MilBlogs post, but the more I read about it the more I realized this (mostly unknown) story was more than worthy of it's own space.

American Women Military and Civilian Who Died in the Vietnam War (1959-1975)

Military Women 8
Civilian Women 56
Total Women 64

Thirty-eight were killed in the crash of a C5-A Galaxy transporting Vietnamese children (Operation Babylift) out of the country on April 4, 1975.

On 04 April 1975 the US was involved in the evacuation of more than 2,000 Vietnamese orphans out of Saigon as North Vietnamese forces marched on the city. A C-5, which was returning to the Philippines after delivering war material, and a C-9 were loaded with children from Saigon'' orphanages and female government employees. These children were to be adopted into families in the United States and Europe. The mission, named Operation Babylift, was the first of more than 30 planned. Workers at the airport carried the children -- more than 100 infants and 140 older children -- into the C-5 one by one. A majority of them were only 2 years and younger. Almost half the children sat in the cargo compartment of the aircraft below, while the remainder sat in the troop compartment upstairs. At 23,000 feet the aft door was torn from the aircraft. The safety investigation would later reveal one of the door locks failed and created a pressure overload on all the other locks. When that happened, it blew out the doors, and the C-5 then experienced a rapid decompression. When the aft door blew out it severed three of the four hydraulic systems as well as the flight controls. The explosion ripped a large hole near the rear of the aircraft. The pilot diverted the plane and headed back to Tan Son Nhut AB, but the C-5 couldn't make it. The pilot made an emergency landing in a rice paddy, within two miles of the base, shearing off the cargo compartment of the aircraft. Many of the orphans were still asleep when the aircraft hit the ground, bounced up, and began to break apart as it hit again and slid to a stop. The entire cargo bay of the aircraft sheared off as the plane tore across the field. Of the 140 passengers below only six survived. Eleven out of the 29 crewmembers lost their lives. The nurses and technicians aboard did their best to save as many children as they could. Thanks to the aircrew's flying skills, however, 176 of the 314 people on board survived, including 150 orphans.

Aune was standing in the aisle in the troop compartment when the Galaxy went down. The impact hurled her the length of the compartment. When she tried to drag herself to her feet, she realized her right foot was broken. She was also bleeding heavily from cuts in her left arm and leg. Unsteadily, she made her way to an emergency exit and began helping the crew and surviving medics remove children from the shattered aircraft. The wreckage was waist-deep in mud and water. Debris lay all around, saturated with leaking fuel. Burning parts of the plane were all around. One spark could turn the crash scene into an inferno.

Five minutes later, rescue helicopters arrived. They were unable to land and hovered close to the wreckage. Aune and other team members waded again and again through the mud to hovering helicopters, carrying terrified children. Finally, unable to go on, she staggered toward an approaching officer. She managed to stand straight and said, "Sir, I request to be relieved of my duties since my injuries prevent me from carrying on." The she passed out. Later, at a Saigon hospital, it was discovered that, in addition to her broken foot, she had a fractured leg and a broken bone in her back. Despite her injuries she had helped carry 149 children to safety.

Later, decorations and awards were given out to many of the survivors of the crash. Traynor and his co-pilot were awarded the Air Force Cross. Klinker was the last U.S. servicewoman to die in the Vietnam conflict and was posthumously awarded the Airman's Medal. Now a colonel, Aune became the only woman to receive the Cheney Award. Thanks to their bravery, Operation Babylift continued, successfully.