Operation Babylift: New Perspectives
February 2025
Dayton Memorial Library, Regis University, Denver
The Evacuation
C-5 Airlift
Loading C-5 in Saigon
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DISPLAY: 4x6 poster + FB comments
C-5 Cargo Compartment
C-5 Airlift
Children from Allambie nursery in cargo of C-5 . -Sr Mary Nelle Gage
DISPLAY: 4x6 poster + FB comments
C-5 Troop Compartment
C-5 Airlift
In the Troop compartment (upstairs behind the wing )To maximize care, two children were placed to a seat and given a juice or milk. There were 73 seats. Adults sat between the seat rows. The seats faced to the rear of the aircraft. -Bud Traynor
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DISPLAY: 4x6 poster + FB comments
April 5, 1975
New York Times
April 5, 1975 front page NYT
DISPLAY: 2x4 print on paper
C-5 Breakaway
Bud Traynor, May 2, 2014 FB
The picture is deceptive because the nose is turned 180° -- the aircraft came from this picture's lower right, and the troop compartment, where most of the survivors were, is off to the right of this photo. The fire is only of the wings that detached and continued forward to burn far away from any of the other wreckage or passengers. - Bud Traynor
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DISPLAY: 2x4 print on paper
Inverted Flight Deck
Bud Traynor, Feb 2, 2013 FB
This is the inverted flight deck.
My escape window is on the opposite side. I exited and walked around the end on the right and met up with SMSgt Snedegar, who had exited out that broken end, walking on the “ceiling.” He had just “patched up” Phil Wise, who was injured and in shock just above the man's head in the picture. He departed to check out the Troop Compartment, where the majority of the survivors were. Phil was in bad shape with a profusely bleeding head wound. Phil began to crawl into the water there in the forefront so I helped him back and leaned him on the panel in front of the two men in the picture. I told Phil to place his forearm on his forehead wound to stem the bleeding. Only later I discovered when Ray and I visited him in the Clark AB hospital, that the arm I placed on his forehead had been broken in several places. I asked him if he were cold, to which he nodded yes. I took a blanket from the base of the wreckage, immediately behind the man standing in the photo. Under the blanket was an adult woman, the only other survivor I am aware of from the cargo compartment. I put Phil on the first helicopter and told them to bring a stokes litter for the other survivor. - Bud Traynor
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DISPLAY: 2x4 print on paper
C-5 Troop Compartment
Bud Traynor, April 4, 2010 FB
The wings broke off and continued away from the troop compartment -- the part of the aircraft where most children survived. Saigon is off to the left. - Bud Traynor
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DISPLAY: 2x4 print on paper
C-5 Flight Route
Bud Traynor, April 3, 2014
Tan Son Nhut is on the north of Saigon. We took off to the east and headed for the Philippines. Just past Vung Tau, on this map labled, Navy Salvage Operations, the ramp locks failed leading to a rapid decompression, loss of 2 of the 4 hydraulic systems, loss of all flight controls to the tail, and return toward Saigon.
— at Off the coast of Viet Nam.
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*Full flight route not shown
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DISPLAY: 2x4 print on paper
Presidio Arrivals
Star Presidian, San Francisco 1975
Harmon Hall was transformed into a makeshift hospital receiving children as they were flown in from Vietnam and were awaiting the arrival of their adoptive families.
DISPLAY: 2x4 print on paper
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April 5, 1075
San Diego Tribune
DISPLAY: Original Newspaper
FFAC Transport
CONVOY LISTS from Presidio to SFO
Convoy lists for departures from the Presidio to SFO to take children to final destinations
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DISPLAY: Original Papers in binder
Bill Kurtis, Framed Print
The Babies in the Paper Boxes
Mildred K Peterson purchased this original print from her neighbor Bill Kurtis, war correspondent.
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Axel Koch Family Collection, CO
DISPLAY: Framed Print
Flight of the Innocents
VIETNAM MAGAZINE
DISPLAY : Original Magazine
Display
The Babies in the Paper Boxes
Limited edition, original framed print from Bill Kurtis.
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Axel Koch Family Collection
DISPLAY: Framed Print
Transport
"Bunny Plane" Convoy
Bunny Plane Convoy Print (Getty), Original "Bunny Plane" Manifest
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DISPLAY: 2x4 print on paper
Operation Babylift Library
Selected Books
Selection of Operation Babylift Books
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DISPLAY: Private Collection: Devaki Murch
Artifact
C-5 Insulation from crash
Actual insulation in a shadow box from the C-5 plane that crashed.
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Private Collection: Devaki Murch
DISPLAY: 11x14 shadow box
FFAC
Poster Boards
Friends For All Children poster boards with documents, notes and letters.
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DISPLAY 4' x 6' poster
FFAC
Record Book
Record book of adoptees for Friends for All Children
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DISPLAY: Book on stand
FFAC
MYSTERY BOX
It's a surprise!
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DISPLAY: TBD
FFAC
Original Lists
Nursery Roll Call lists post crash, Destination lists of children, Bus lists from Presidio, Operational and Admin lists from FFAC
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DISPLAY: Folder, Papers on clipboard
FFAC
Slideshow: Mary Nelle Gage
Presentation following Fireside Reception by Sister Mary Nelle Gage
C-5 Crash Passenger List
USAID Passenger Manifest
Original Passenger list of survivors and deceased (children)
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FORMAT: Paper on clipboard
Original Newpaper and Notes
Rosemary Taylor
Collection or Original notes, corrspondence and papers from Friends for All Children staff, adoptees and families
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DISPLAY: Multiple formats
Adoptee Files
Devaki Murch, personal records
Personal Adoption file of Devaki Murch, adoptee, C-5 Survivor
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Murch Family Collection
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DISPLAY: Papers in Folder
Video Game Manual
Conflict in Vietnam
"Conflict in Vietnam" on Atari was a classic war strategy game where players took on the role of a military commander during the Vietnam War, navigating key battles across the conflict, managing troops, utilizing different weapons and vehicles, all while facing the challenges of the dense jungle terrain; it was considered one of the first detailed war simulations on the platform, focusing on tactical decision-making in a historically accurate setting
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DISPLAY: Pamphlet