LtCol Chuck Gaede was born in Olney, Illinois in 1944, and grew up on near West Salem, Illinois. He entered the USMC Platoon Leaders Class Program in 1964 while attending the University of Illinois. He was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant upon graduation in February 1967, became an infantry officer, and was sent to Vietnam in December 1967. After serving in Vietnam in 1967 and 1968, Okinawa in 1968 and 1969, and again in Vietnam in 1969, he was stationed at the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Barstow, California. In 1972 he attended the Amphibious Warfare School and upon completion was assigned to Officer Candidate School to train Officer Candidates.

Upon leaving active duty in 1974, he continued to serve in the Marine Corps Reserve. In the Reserve, he served in various billets with infantry and artillery units until he retired in April 1998. His decorations include two Purple Heart awards and three Navy Commendation Medals, the first one with a Combat V.

His civilian career was spent in higher education. He completed his Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1993 at the University of North Texas, and in 1998 moved to Austin, Texas for an administrative position at the University of Texas. He retired in August, 2007 from the University of Texas.

Besides "doing what he wants" in retirement, he is active in his local VFW Post and does occasional book reviewing for the Leatherneck magazine. He has returned to Vietnam several times and has funded two community libraries in the Khe Sanh area through PeaceTrees Vietnam, Inc.

He is married to Linda, and between them they have five children and six grandchildren. He and Linda reside in south Austin.