Medal of Honor: Luther Skaggs Jr. – World War II, July 22, 1944

Luther Skaggs Jr.
Rank: Private First Class
Conflict: World War II
Unit: 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines, 3rd Marine Division
Date of Action: July 21–22, 1944
Location: Asan-Adelup Beachhead, Guam, Marianas Islands

Summary of Action:
In the brutal jungle campaign for Guam, 21-year-old Private First Class Luther Skaggs Jr. embodied the undying grit of the United States Marine Corps. After landing under withering Japanese mortar fire at the Asan-Adelup beachhead, his mortar section’s leader was struck down. Without hesitation, Skaggs took command, guiding his team through 200 yards of enemy fire to establish a critical firing position supporting the assault on a heavily defended cliff.

That night, the Japanese counterattacked in force. A grenade exploded in his foxhole, shattering Skaggs' lower leg. Bleeding, alone, and in agony, he fashioned a tourniquet, braced himself in the crater, and kept firing. For eight relentless hours, he held the line—rifle in hand, grenades at the ready—beating back wave after wave of the enemy. At dawn, refusing evacuation or help, he crawled unassisted to friendly lines, his calm determination inspiring all who witnessed his ordeal. He fought not just with his weapons, but with indomitable courage and the iron resolve of a Marine who would not quit.

Medal of Honor Citation:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as squad leader with a mortar section of a rifle company in the 3d Battalion, 3d Marines, 3d Marine Division, during action against enemy Japanese forces on the Asan-Adelup beachhead, Guam, Marianas Islands, 21 -22 July 1944. When the section leader became a casualty under a heavy mortar barrage shortly after landing, Pfc. Skaggs promptly assumed command and led the section through intense fire for a distance of 200 yards to a position from which to deliver effective coverage of the assault on a strategic cliff. Valiantly defending this vital position against strong enemy counterattacks during the night, Pfc. Skaggs was critically wounded when a Japanese grenade lodged in his foxhole and exploded, shattering the lower part of one leg. Quick to act, he applied an improvised tourniquet and, while propped up in his foxhole, gallantly returned the enemy’s fire with his rifle and handgrenades for a period of 8 hours, later crawling unassisted to the rear to continue the fight until the Japanese had been annihilated. Uncomplaining and calm throughout this critical period, Pfc. Skaggs served as a heroic example of courage and fortitude to other wounded men and, by his courageous leadership and inspiring devotion to duty, upheld the high traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.