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Petty Officer 2nd Class Chris Skinner, a 2005 graduate of Payson High School, was awarded his Navy SEAL Trident in a ceremony this December at the Naval Special Warfare Command, Coronado, Calif. This is the "Elite" Special Forces Unit for the U.S. Military (http://www.sealchallenge.navy.mil/). He endured 15 months of the most demanding and grueling military training there is for the U.S. Military. Only 19 of the original 227 men that started in Class 263 made it to graduation to receive their SEAL Trident. The training includes intense physical testing, underwater demolition, land warfare and high altitude jump training, along with many other skills. He has been assigned to SEAL Team 7 in San Diego, Calif. and will see several deployments over the next few years. Skinner's parents, Ross and Deborah Skinner live in Payson, along with his younger brother, Brian.
"We are obviously very proud of Chris and he has really stepped up after graduating high school here in Payson," said his father.
"I served for 10 years in submarines and can tell you that this accomplishment is very special," he added.
Skinner's older brother, Neal, a recent graduate from Arizona State University, is serving in the Army and is currently enrolled in Officer Candidate School.
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