Michael James ‘Doc’ Deaville: ‘I was lucky’

By Ginny Williamson, Honor Flight Chicago Veteran Interview Volunteer

Mike Deaville graduated from Lincoln-Way Central High School in 1966. He attended Joliet Junior College but knew that wasn’t for him. He then started a job at a chemical plant in Joliet.

Mike enlisted into the Navy in January 1968, “because I liked the water.” He did basic training at Great Lakes Naval Base in Highland Park, Illinois. From April until August of 1968 he attended Hospital Corps in San Diego. In September 1968 until August 1969, he was stationed at Great Lakes Naval Hospital. Mike got orders in August 1969, along with two other guys, and was sent to Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California, for two months. While there, Mike attended Field Medical School; he trained with the Fleet Marine Force (FMF). FMF trains corpsman on how to treat combat injuries.

Mike (“Doc”) was deployed overseas to Vietnam from October 1969 to October 1970 as a combat medic (corpsman). He spent time at LZ Baldy and LZ Ross during his deployment, with 3/7 1st Marine Division. All the veterans who served in Vietnam had difference experiences and different stories to tell. This is Mike’s story.

In October 1969, Mike was assigned in Khe Sanh, in the mountains, south of Da Nang with the 3/7 1st Marines. Each Marine Corps unit gets a medical staff from the Navy assigned to them. Mike went on multiple road sweeps. For these road sweeps, the Marines always took a corpsman with them. He was also on night ambushes. For Mike, he said luckily he was there at a slower time. The area he was in only experienced booby traps, night ambushes and accidental discharges.

Very early in his deployment in Vietnam, Mike came down with malaria, in December of 1969. That November and December, it never stopped raining. They sent him to a hospital ship, the U.S.S. Repose. So, not much of a Christmas that year for him. Mike spent five days on the ship recuperating. Ironically, being in the Navy, this was the only time he was on a ship, in the water – for the guy who originally enlisted in the Navy because he liked the water. However, he did have to hike through a lot of water while he was in Vietnam.

While with the 3/7 1st Marines, they had three platoons in each company, and each platoon had two corpsmen assigned. Mike was usually with the smaller groups. What he had to deal with was mostly booby trap injuries. He recalls that at quiet times, out in the bush, trying to climb a mountain in the rain was not fun. 

LZ Baldy was bigger than LZ Ross. While he was at LZ Baldy, he heard that LZ Ross was overrun by the NVA. The Marines were able to retain control of the camp; the camp was never relinquished.

In May 1970, Mike was transferred to Force Logistics Command (FLC) in Da Nang. He worked in the medical supply house there. This is what they called ‘skate’ – an easier, less intense assignment than being in the bush. There were many requests for supplies during this time. Mike was mostly doing warehouse work. While he was still at the FLC, Mike ordered a stereo system through the PX catalog from Japan. It arrived the same day he arrived home from Vietnam. 

When not there, they were out having fun – as much fun as you could have. He recalls that the NCO club had good food, basketball hoops, and sometimes movies. 

While he was working at the medical supply house, Mike ran into a bootcamp buddy from St. Charles, Illinois.  They are still in touch with him after all these years. The Marines knew Mike as “Doc.” To this day, if he runs into some of the old timers at the VFW, they still call him “Doc.” 

No one could believe that Mike did not smoke even though they put four small cigarettes in the C- rations. Mike would trade his ration of cigarettes for pecan rolls. 

During these Vietnam years, everyone goes through different experiences, some more intense than others. For Mike, there were good times and there were bad times.

The first day Mike was in the bush, he and his company started to set up camp for the night. He heard shooting in the distance, looked up he saw one of our helicopters cut in half. Mike and his company could only get to them the next morning – no survivors. “Welcome to Vietnam” he thought.

One time, he remembers having his morphine supplies stolen. As a corpsman, he had the morphine in his Unit 1 by his rack. He didn’t realize it was stolen until he needed to use it to treat someone in the field. It was a time when they had eight men hit by a booby trap. Luckily, there was another corpsman with him. Mike was questioned about the missing morphine and had to convince his superiors he was not using it for himself. That was a crazy exchange for him.

The closest call Mike had was when a booby trap went off behind him. He was not injured by that, fortunately. On one patrol, the Marine point man took out three NVA. Two of them died right away; the third, an officer, was still alive when Mike arrived to him. While that officer did eventually die, it was good ‘practice’ for Mike, treating someone in the field.

To blow off some steam or boredom, Mike and a buddy decided to get drunk at LZ Baldy. They had a bottle of Seagram’s 7 and mixed it with Rootie Root Beer. “You make do with what you have.”

Everyone Mike attended to and worked on during his time in Vietnam survived. Only one time he had to assist in putting a Marine in a body bag. All the wounded and deceased were flown out by helicopter. None of those who Mike treated – or processed – were left behind.

In his off time, any chance he had he played basketball. There is a basketball hoop in his driveway still today. 

At the FLC in Da Nang, Mike was able to go to the South China Sea and the beach for one day. 

On the roadways in Vietnam, he would see children putting their hands out, not for candy but for cigarettes. Mike thought they would most likely turn around and sell those. Mike met an S2 scout, a ‘regular’ guy – Nuyen Van Heep. That’s probably the only SVA Mike got to know.

Looking back at his time in Vietnam, Mike shared, “I was lucky.” Mike acknowledges that other guys had a much harder, more intense experience than him.

In October 1970, Mike traveled home dressed in his Marine Corp Green. That uniform had his medical insignia on it, identifying him as corpsman. When he got home, that was not a popular time. 

Mike finished his fourth year, returning to Great Lakes, processing new recruits. He was there for the remaining 15 months, living off-base. He got out of the Navy on 12/23/1971, honorably discharged. They gave him an early out to go to college. For his service, Mike received the National Defense, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Vietnam Service Medal and the Combat Action Ribbon.

After his discharge, Mike went to the University of Illinois in Chicago to follow up on his medical training. However, he decided he was not going to pursue that then. It was not for him.

He met his wife, Maureen (“Mo”) after he returned home, living in New Lenox. Mo was the sister of a friend of Mike’s. They dated for 15 months and eventually eloped. Mike and Mo married on St. Patrick’s Day in 1972 and then spent their honeymoon in the Florida Keys.

Mike went to work at the same place he worked at in 1967, before joining the Navy – Matheson Tri-Gas. He was there for 35 years and has been retired now for 14 years.

Mike will always remember June 11, 1986. That was the day the city of Chicago held a Welcome Home parade for Vietnam veterans in downtown Chicago. That day, Mike told his boss that he was leaving work early so that he could go to the parade. He really liked that they had a parade for the Vietnam veterans and honored him and others for that war. 

Mike joined the VFW in New Lenox. At that time, there were not many Vietnam veterans. He and others formed Vietnam Veterans and Friends. This group used to participate in parades, and they made sure to welcome home the veterans returning from Iraq. Mike is still a member of the VFW and American Legion and goes to those gatherings once or twice a week. 

Two years ago, the traveling Wall was in Manhattan – Mike’s hometown. The American Legion arranged it. It was there that they had a sign-up for Honor Flight Chicago. 

Mike and his wife, Mo, had four children (Tommy, Julie, Megan and Marty), and have two grandchildren (Lucy and Maisie). Mo passed away in November 2023, so Mike spends a lot of time with his kids and grandkids. These days, Mike spends time bike-riding and kayaking with his girlfriend, Nancy. He is keeping himself busy, and could probably still fit into those Marine Corp Greens he came home in.

Welcome aboard, Mike. Enjoy your day of honor. And thank you so very much for your years of service.