Sergeant

Jack Skaggs

Marine Corps
Inducted 2005

Jack Skaggs

Jack R. Skaggs is a native of Norman, Oklahoma, who enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1940 at age 17. The following year, he was assigned tot he coastal defense artillery on Wake Island to help defend the island against relentless Japanese attacks. With the capture of the island, he became a prisoner of war. He was awarded a Purple Heart for wounds he received while a prisoner.

After the war, Sergeant Skaggs began his long service to the people of Oklahoma, serving as a police officer and a member of the Oklahoma National Guard. He was a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives for six years. While in the insurance and real estate businesses, Sergeant Skaggs served as president of his Optimist Club. He was active in the Lions Club, the Chamber of Commerce, the Board of Realtors the Home Builders Association and the Masonic organization.