Corporal Skelton was a member of Company B, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was Killed in Action while attacking the enemy on Hill 461 near Sangyang, North Korea on 26 August 1951. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

Skelton was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.