Rollin White Skilton

West Point, 1946

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by MG John C. (Jack) McWhorter, Jr. on May 4, 2000:

When I started the '46 Memorial Article Project, my first priority was to write the memorial articles for 1946 classmates who died in the Korean War and Vietnam. Research to locate family for Rollie took me almost two years. I could not even find out what unit he was in. Of cadet roommates, one also died in Korea, Dick Mealor. The other had left West Point before graduation. Rollie and Dick were both turnbacks so others in his company knew little about them. Everywhere I turned, a dead end. One day, classmate John Hill from Austin flew his Mooney plane into Kerrville, for service and I brought him to our house for lunch. He told me about author, Clay Blair, "The Forgotten War", interviewing him about the role his father played in the Korean War. I got the book and as I was reading it, came across the name Roland Skilton. I knew immediately that this was our classmate. So, I wrote to Clay Blair and he replied those yes it was Rollie. He gave me addresses of officers who had served with him and from them I located Rollie's widow, Barbara and the memorial article was written. I stayed in touch with her and after the 50th Reunion, Millie and I visited her and her husband in CT. I only knew Rollie to speak to him as a cadet, although we are in a picture together in the Weight Lifting Club in the Howitzer. However, after my research, I have great admiration for him and his performance in combat. As with most of our classmates about whom I wrote in their memorial articles, I just wish I could have known him better.

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