World War I - U.S. Army

Alexander Rives Skinker

• Rank: Captain
• Conflict/Era: World War I
• Unit/Command:
  Company I, 138th Infantry,
  35th Division
• Military Service Branch: U.S. Army
• Medal of Honor Action Date: September 26, 1918
• Medal of Honor Action Place: Cheppy, France

Unwilling to sacrifice his men when his company was held up by terrific machine-gun fire from iron pill boxes in the Hindenburg Line, Capt. Skinker personally led an automatic rifleman and a carrier in an attack on the machine guns. The carrier was killed instantly, but Capt. Skinker seized the ammunition and continued through an opening in the barbed wire, feeding the automatic rifle until he too, was killed.