@1): No Problem! You can do it easily in MED, after exporting it from Lightwave.

@2):

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Someone suggested loading the first frame as .x and then using append verts to get the model into MED.

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You mean: frames (not verts), right?

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I also tried a Lightwave to .x export plugin that supposedly can animations, keyframes \, the whole works -but MED doesn't like it, and only takes one frame.

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Which Version of MED do you use? It is possible that one version doesn't take it while an other, may be an earlier version, does it. I have all versions since A4. Version 4.78 MED already supports opening .x files.

If you have the last version of MED, you could give it a try and could make the bones animation in there. Me myself, I was impressed how easy and fast it is.

In short:

First to see all the buttons that you need choose full monitor mode (not window mode).
If you have one frame of your model in MED, you can start:
Change to bone mode (upside), choose 'create bone' button (downside), place the bones in the front view, first parent, then children, grandchildren... If you need to different strings of boneschange into a different mode and choose again 'create bone'mode. With merge bone mode you can ...what ...okey.

Connecting the vertices with bones choose 'Apply Vertices Mode', I started with the children and then step by step the hierarchy up, I don't know, if this is nessecary. Mark the bone and mark the belonging vertices - nothing more - if I remember well!
You can adjust the places of the bones simply with the move tool. Click 'animate' and unclick 'fixed bone size'.
For animating click 'fixed bone size', Edit --> Add frame...
Every frame has the same time difference to the neighbour frame.
For walk or run animation add four frames, you can add frames inbetween later, every time you add a frame you are asked what frame you want to be copied into the add frame, if you choose wisely you can get done your work easier and faster.

You can animate with the move and turn tool. Don't forget to click the 'options' button at the upside to see the choosed range of frames to be shure that you only work on one frame at a time.

Did you try LithUnwrap for converting? Can't find it on my PC and I only remember how to export a skinmapping from it to MED.

Does exporting the skin to MED work?