[1] After graduation from Cardinal Hayes High School in 1946, he enlisted in the United States Navy and served as a radio operator.

He next entered B-26 combat crew training and in February 1954 was assigned to the 90th Bombardment Squadron at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea.

Skantze's initial research and development assignment was as project engineer with the joint Air Force-Atomic Energy Commission Nuclear Powered Airplane program in Germantown, Maryland.

Graduating from the Armed Forces Staff College the following year, Skantze served for three and a half years as director of system engineering and advanced planning in the Air Force Manned Orbiting Laboratory Program at the Space and Missile Systems Organization in Los Angeles.

In August 1982, Skantze was named deputy chief of staff for research, development and acquisition at Air Force headquarters.

Skantze was named as a payload specialist for the classified United States Department of Defense Space Shuttle mission STS-61-N, scheduled for launch on 4 September 1986.