Alexander Rives Skinker – Medal of Honor, World War I (1918)

Captain Alexander Rives Skinker was a soldier in the U.S. Army who was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions on September 26, 1918 in Cheppy, France during World War I. At the time he was serving with Company I, 138th Infantry, 35th Division. Skinker was 34 years old.

Skinker was killed in the action for which his medal was awarded. 8 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day.

Skinker was born on October 13, 1883 in St. Louis, St. Louis County, Missouri. He is buried at Bellafontaine Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri.

Skinker is one of 132 Medal of Honor recipients from World War I and one of 78 credited to Missouri.

★ Gave Their Lives

Official Medal of Honor 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.

Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.

Wounds and death in action

Killed in action during the act for which the medal was awarded (September 26, 1918).
Age at death: 34
Resting place: Bellafontaine Cemetery

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: World War I.

Places

Born: St. Louis — map
Died: Cheppy — map
Buried: Bellefontaine Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Missouri →

Timeline

October 13, 1883
Born in St. Louis, St. Louis County, Missouri
September 26, 1918
Act of valor — Cheppy, France
Age 34. Company I, 138th Infantry, 35th Division Killed in action.
Resting place
Bellafontaine Cemetery
St. Louis, Missouri

Biography

Captain Alexander Rives Skinker (October 13, 1883 – September 26, 1918) was a U.S. Army officer who was a Medal of Honor recipient during World War I. He graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 1905. He served in the Missouri National Guard from 1903 to 1908, and entered the Army as a commissioned officer in 1916. He was awarded the medal for leading an attack on German pillboxes in the Hindenburg Line during the Meuse–Argonne offensive, and was killed in the attack. He was buried at Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis.

From the Wikipedia article “Alexander R. Skinker”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →

Also honored for actions on September 26, 1918

Deming Bronson First Lieutenant · Army World War I · 1918 DC Donald Marshall Call Corporal · Army World War I · 1918 PK Phillip Carl Katz Sergeant · Army World War I · 1918

George H. Mallon Captain · Army World War I · 1918

Willie Sandlin Sergeant · Army World War I · 1918 LS Lloyd Martin Seibert Sergeant · Army World War I · 1918 CW Chester Howard West First Sergeant · Army World War I · 1918 NW Nels T. Wold Private · Army World War I · 1918 ✦

More World War I recipients from Missouri

MH M. Waldo Hatler Sergeant · Army World War I · 1918

John Henry Balch Pharmacist's Mate First Class · Navy World War I · 1918 JB John Lewis Barkley Private First Class · Army World War I · 1918 AF Arthur J. Forrest Sergeant · Army World War I · 1919 CB Charles Denver Barger Private First Class · Army World War I · 1918

Sources. Service and award details compiled from the recipient record of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Wikidata and Wikipedia. The narrative summary is generated from these records. Spotted an error? Send a correction.