First Lieutenant Dotson was a member of, Company B 70th Medium Tank Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division. He was listed as Missing in Action while fighting the enemy in North Korea on 2 November 1950. He was presumed dead on 31 December 1953. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

For his leadership and valor, First Lieutenant Dotson was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart, 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.