Charles was born in Manhattan, New York, on the 19th of April 1896, and he enlisted in the US Navy. He was an Ordinary Seaman when he deployed to Veracruz, Mexico, and it was his actions there that would later earn him the Medal of Honor. The citation reads:

On board the U.S.S. Florida, Nordsiek showed extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession during the seizure of Vera Cruz, Mexico, 21-22 April 1914.

When Charles received the Medal of Honor on the 6th of January 1915, from the Secretary of the Navy, he was only 18 years old and among the youngest recipients to receive the Medal. He remained in the Navy and when the US entered World War 1, Charles became a Lieutenant in the Naval Auxiliary Reserve. He and his wife Mary were wed after the war in April of 1919, and the couple had no children. Charles Luers Nordsiek died on the 9th of March 1937, at the age of 40 and he is buried with his wife in Arlington National Cemetery: Section 7, Grave 10230.