HONOLULU, Hawaii – Town native and U.S. Marine Corp Sgt. Angela Cardone made news this week when she was reunited with the retired military dog that she once trained, with their meeting featured in People, Yahoo News and scheduled to air on ABC, according to family members.
Cardone, a Burrillville High School graduate, has served with the U.S. Marine Corps at Kaneohe Bay Marine Base in Waikiki – a neighborhood in Honolulu – since she was assigned there last summer.
In the two years that preceded the transfer, Cardone was stationed in Iwakuni, Japan, and worked as the handler for Bogi, a narcotics detection dog.
Her work with the canine was highlighted in a Marine Times article in 2019 regarding new postage stamps displaying military working dogs.
But Bogi, a 5-year-old Belgian Malinois, stayed behind as Cardone left for the city on Hawaii’s south shore.
A former hockey player for BHS, Cardone comes from a strong military background, with a long list of local family members who have served. Her parents, John and Amy Cardone, both served as Marines, along with her late grandfather Richard Cardone, a former sergeant who worked for the Burrillville Police Department for more than 20 years, according to her uncle, Todd Cardone. Uncle Todd and her sister Trista Cardone were also Marines.
And all are reportedly very proud of Angela.
“She is smashing ceilings all over the place,” said Todd, who now lives in Missouri.
Angela’s recent stint in the spotlight comes after Bogi was medically retired due to a broken bone in her neck. The injury prevents the dog from working or wearing a collar, but she now has a home with her first trainer, thanks to efforts by the nonprofit American Humane.
The organization, based in Washington, D.C., flew Bogi more than 4,000 miles for her reunion with the 22-year-old Marine, who is now her legal owner.
