Veterans History Project: An Interview with Christopher DiMaio

Library of Congress Veterans History Project

Interview conducted by Jeanne Czarnecki and produced by David Addison. Recorded at the Aptos Branch, Santa Cruz Public Libraries, August 14, 2017.

Born in Providence, Rhode Island in May 1940, Christopher DiMaio attended the University of Rhode Island as a pre-med student, and graduated from Georgetown Medical School. After finishing his internship in Long Island, and New York, he decided to join the Navy, as the need for physician rose dramatically in the Vietnam War in the late 1960s. He served 13 months in Vietnam. For 6 months, he followed and served a battalion later known as the "Walking Dead," one of the units that suffered the highest causalities in the history of Marine Corps. DiMaio's job is to serve American lives in the field -- stopping blood flow, wrapping bandages and inserting chest tubes -- all under enemy fire (Santa Cruz sentinel, June 29, 2015). DiMaio has received many service awards and medals, such as Veteran of the Year in 2015, National Service Medal, Vietnam Combat Action Ribbon, Service Medal with FMF Combat Insignia, 3 Bronze Stars, Vietnam UN Campaign Medal, and Navy Commendation in Field Combat. He reached the rank of Lieutenant Commander.

Duration: 125 min.

Time Summary:
1:00 introduction, date and place of birth
3:00 early life and family military history
6:00 joined service and education and medical school history
15:00 sent to Vietnam
19:30 showed pictures from Vietnam
22:59 had Vietnamese interpreter
26:00 assigned to Battalion 19 also known as ‘Walking Dead’
31:00 talked about first day of battle with Battalion 19
34:52 relationship with Oliver
46:06 helicopter assault
49:00 hit by Viet Cong—wounded with concussion
51:00 pictures of him after months of being there
52:42 came down with cerebral malaria
54:37 parents notified he was alive
54:53 on hospital ship thought he was a prisoner, tried to escape twice
1:01.00 went back to Da Nang and third battalion
1:03.00 created a unit to help with diseases
1:06.00 pictures of triage unit
1:09.00 brain damage from concussion
1:10.00 met Robert Shippen
1:15.00 Bon Voyage after 13 months
1:16.00 received Navy Commendation Medal
1:18.29 came home, couldn’t sleep without a rifle by his side
1:19.00 stationed at Treasure Island
1:20.00 moved to San Francisco
1:23.06 decided to go into psychiatry
1:24.14 went back East before San Francisco, residents at hospital angry at him for going to Vietnam
1:25.29 moved to San Diego for last two years of residency
1:27.32 bought organic apple farm in Santa Cruz
1:31.12 bought two safe houses in Southern California to help with other veterans
1:33.00 eventually moved to Santa Cruz
1:35.50 help start first PSTD group in Santa Cruz
1:38.16 met Ed Mugge and Bill Motto
1:40.00 stories of helping vets in crisis
1:46.56 head of psychiatry at VA in San Jose then moved to Kaiser
1:47.07 went to reunion with other soldiers he was in the war with, 3rd Medical Battalion
1:50.31 went to the Vietnam Memorial Wall
1:51.45 retired, still volunteers helping veterans
1:53.47 nominated for Veteran of the Year
1:53.48 first married couple of the same gender to be recognized in California in the VA
1:55.00 started VET Advocate Program
1:57.10 dedicates himself to peace and taking care of returning veterans
1:58.00 how service changed his thinking about military and war: went to as an agnostic and is now
Spiritual, thinks people should do 2yrs. Service of any kind of service, more veterans should be
In politics, war should be last option
2:00.00 advice for future generations: military could be a good career, anyone who is qualified should be able to join the military

Creator: DiMaio, Christopher; Addison, David; Czarnecki, Jeanne

Date: 8/14/2017

Type: MOVING IMAGE

Coverage:

Santa Cruz (County)
2010s
1970s

Rights: Permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact Santa Cruz Public Libraries for assistance.

Identifier: VH-DIMAIO

Library of Congress Veterans History Project

Collection

Remembering Our Own: Santa Cruz Veterans

Citation

DiMaio, Christopher, David Addison, and Jeanne Czarnecki. “Veterans History Project: An Interview with Christopher DiMaio.” 8/14/2017. SCPL Local History. https://history.santacruzpl.org/omeka/items/show/135222. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.