Howard Cleasby Hovey
Master Sergeant, U.S. Army

Hovey was a veteran of World War II.

In July 1953, Master Sergeant Howard Cleasby Hovey was serving with Company A, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, in Korea.

On 6 July, MSG Hovey's unit was engaged with enemy forces in the vicinity of Sokkogae, North Korea. MSG Hovey and other members of Company A were on duty in the company command post when their position was suddenly attacked by a numerically superior enemy force. MSG Hovey left his bunker, moved into a nearby trench, and directed fire at the hostile troops, temporarily repulsing several attempts to overrun the Company's positions. Spotting the enemy advancing within about fifty yards of the post, MSG Hovey armed himself with a carbine and hand grenades and charged the enemy with heavy fire while throwing grenades. He inflicted numerous casualties and stopped the enemy's advance. Although wounded, he continued firing until he was again critically wounded by a napalm grenade. Knowing that the lives of other men were still in danger, he grabbed another carbine and more grenades and again left the bunker area. This time he maintained his stand while firing his weapon and throwing grenades until he was mortally wounded by a direct hit from an enemy grenade. Through his courageous actions, MSG Hovey enabled other men from the command post to evacuate the bunker, fight from a better position, and eventually stem the onslaught. MSG Hovey's extraordinary heroism and devotion to the safety of his men earned him the U.S. Army's second highest award for valor, the Distinguished Service Cross.

Medals, Awards & Badges

Distinguished Service Cross
Bronze Star Medal
Purple Heart
Army Good Conduct Medal
American Theater Campaign Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Korean Service Medal
United Nations Service Medal
Republic of Korea War Service Medal
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation
Combat Infantryman Badge with Star (2nd Award)

* Distinguished Service Cross Citation

The President of the United States of America, under the provisions of the Act of Congress approved July 9, 1918, takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to Master Sergeant Howard Cleasby Hovey (ASN: 0-6152613), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United Nations while serving with Company A, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. Master Sergeant Hovey distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against enemy aggressor forces in the vicinity of Sokkogae, Korea, on 6 July 1953. On that date, Sergeant Hovey and other members of the company were on duty in the company command post when their position was suddenly attacked by a vicious, numerically superior enemy force. With total disregard for his own life, Sergeant Hovey left the comparative safety of his bunker, moved into a nearby trench and directed a hail of fire at hostile troops, temporarily repulsing several attempts to overrun friendly positions. Aware that the dangerous proximity of the determined, reinforced enemy posed an imminent threat to the defense of the entire post, Sergeant Hovey, arming himself with a carbine and hand grenades, moved from the cover of the trench, spotted the enemy advancing within about fifty yards of the post and charged the enemy, pouring crippling fire and throwing grenades at the assailants, inflicting numerous casualties and checking their advance. Although wounded by automatic weapons during the ensuing action, he continued firing until he was again critically wounded by a napalm grenade. Feeling that the lives of other members were still endangered, he grabbed another carbine and grenades and again left the bunker area, maintaining his stand and firing his weapon and throwing grenades until he was mortally wounded by a direct hit from another enemy grenade. Through his indomitable fighting spirit and courageous actions, he enabled other members of the command post to evacuate the bunker, establish operations in another position, and eventually stem the onslaught. Master Sergeant Hovey's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

General Orders: Department of the Army: General Orders No. 3 (January 20, 1954)

Memorialization

The remains of Master Sergeant Howard Cleasby Hovey have never been recovered. He is memorialized by his name being inscribed on Court 6 of the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial, in Honolulu, HI.

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