b. 13/10/1883 St Louis, Missouri. d. 26/09/1918 Cheppy, France.
DATE OF MOH ACTION: 26/09/1918 Cheppy, France.
Alexander R Skinker MOH
World War I Medal of Honor Recipient. He was a captain in the 138th Infantry regiment, and was killed by German machine-gun fire in the battle of the Argonne in Cheppy, France. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty. When the news of Captain Skinker’s death reached St. Louis, the alumni of Washington University, his fraternity brothers of Phi Delta Theta and many others made accolades to Captain Skinker’s memory. After his funeral at Christ Church Cathedral, which was attended by by over 1,200 people, a long procession made its way to Bellefontaine Cemetery where over 5,000 people paid him honor. The casket, wrapped in the American flag, placed on a caisson, and accompanied by two companies of infantry, was drawn at a solemn pace to the family burial lot. A bugler and nine of the men who were with him in the fatal battle of the Argonne made the last call and fired the final salute over his grave.
MOH CITATION:
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.
BURIAL LOCATION: BELLEFONTAINE CEMETERY, ST LOUIS, MISSOURI.
BLOCK 78/79, LOT 2342.
LOCATION OF MEDAL: UNKNOWN.
