Kove grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, the daughter of prominent attorney Myron Kove. She dropped out of college at the age of 17 to join the United States Navy. Kove served in HM 12 and RH-53D squadron that supported HM-16 in the Iran Hostage Crisis. During the rescue mission known as Operation Eagle Claw Kove broke her back but ignored the pain and continued to serve until she was honorably discharged in 1982 as a service related disabled veteran. Kove later returned to college, where she earned a degree in logistics and management from Park University.