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EVENTS LEADING UP TO LT. SKINNERS MOH INTRODUCTION: A few months after we completed the Battalion Web
Site I was informed that a Lt. Skinner, who was in the 11th Marines, was
awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions while attached to the
battalion. (Lt. Skinner is not listed in the present 1-7’s Web site as a
holder of the Medal of Honor) It was not difficult to obtain a copy of the
Lt,'s citation or photo. I was, however unable to find anyway to verify
which Infantry battalion he was attached to. In December of 2002 I
received the following first person account of the events leading up to
Lt. Skinners death and subsequent Medal of Honor. The delay between
December and now was to ensure the membership would, at the Hilton head
reunion vote to continue the web site. This they did. Within the next
couple of weeks the present Medal of Honor page will be reworked to
include Lt. Skinner. The following are the events as described by Ed Potts
a radioman for the 4.2 FO who was with Lt Skinner. I was with Lt. Skinner until about 15 or 20 minutes before he was killed. The following is a description of the events leading up to his death as well as I can remember it. Lt Skinner, Frank Roy, his radioman, Jim Sloan 4.2 FO and myself, Sloan’s radioman were all trapped in the FO bunker. We were hungered down trying to avoid being hit by dirt, debris and shrapnel coming through the aperture. When I raised up to look out the aperture I saw a massive wave of Chinese troops about 50 yards to the left and forward of the bunker. I told Sloan and Lt. Skinner. Sloan told me to request a fire mission training all four guns on our position and fire for effect. Lt Skinner gave Roy a similar order and shortly thereafter all hell broke loose. This lasted about 15 or 20 minutes. The bunker aperture was blown in and some of the roof timbers gave way on the aperture end of the bunker. The other ends stayed up. One of the timbers smashed my radio. Sand bags and dirt were burying us and we had to get out. The self inflicted barrage let up at the right time and we were able to dig our way out. Once outside we received small arms fire from several directions. We thought Charlie Co. had been pushed back toward the ridge so we headed in that direction. We took cover in parts of the trench that had not been blown in. We managed to work our way back about 20 yards to a trench that went down to the bunker. I think Roy was the only one with a rifle; ours had been buried in the bunkers. We all had .45 caliber side arms. I had two clips of ammo and two hand grenades. I think Sloan had the same. Lt Skinner and Roy started toward the CP bunker. PFC Worster was in that bunker, they were going to get him and fall back with us. This is when they became trapped in the CP bunker. The following is an account of the action in author Lee Ballenger’s book “The Outpost War”. “Lt. Skinner, Cpl. Frank Roy and PFC Worster became trapped in the bunker. The Lieutenant organized a defensive perimeter and directed fire at the enemy. Skinner was twice wounded but he continued until an overwhelming number of enemy soldiers forced him and his men back into the bunker. Trapped in the bunker they feigned death as Chinese soldiers entered the bunker and searched their bodies. When the Chinese left they threw hand grenades inside the bunker as a final gesture. Skinner rolled over on one and absorbed the entire blast with his body. Worster was killed. Roy was wounded but was able to work his way back to Charlie Co. Cpl. Roy and PFC Vance Worster were awarded the Navy Cross, Lt. Skinner was awarded the Medal of Honor” I empted my .45 at the Chinese at a point to the left and out in front of the bunkers. I think I hit one but am not sure it was to dark to tell. I threw both hand grenades and started to work my way back to Charlie Co. I was wounded twice later and was evacuated to the Naval Hospital ship the next day. - Emmett E (Ed) Potts.
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