Private First Class Nettles was a member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He was listed as Missing in Action while fighting the enemy in North Korea on 26 November 1950. He was presumed dead on 31 December 1953. His remains were recovered on 19 November 1999 and identified on 11 May 2006. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

Nettles was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantryman's Badge, 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.