Hospital Corpsman Third Class Hovatter was attached to Company A, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division. He was Killed in Action while tending his wounded comrades near Kuam-ni, Korea on 31 May 1951 by a wound to his abdomen.

For his leadership and valor, Hospital Corpsman Third Class Hovatter was awarded the Navy Cross, the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Ribbon, 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.