Fireman E3 Hoover served aboard the destroyer USS Brush (DD-745) in Korean waters. He was listed as Missing in Action when his ship struck an enemy mine near Tanchon, North Korea on 26 September 1950. He was presumed dead on 27 September 1951. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

Hoover was awarded 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.