The first C-5A was delivered to the USAF on 17 December 1969 . Wings were built up in the early 1970s at Altus AFB , Oklahoma ; Charleston AFB , South Carolina ; Dover AFB , Delaware ; and Travis AFB , California . The C-5 's first mission was on 9 July 1970 , in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War . C-5s were used to transport equipment and troops , including Army tanks and even some small aircraft , throughout the later years of the US action in Vietnam . In the final weeks of the war , prior to the Fall of Saigon , several C-5s were involved in evacuation efforts . During one such mission , a C-5A crashed while transporting a large number of orphans , with over 140 killed
one such mission
1975 Tân Sơn Nhứt C-5 accident
Lockheed C-5 Galaxy