Troubled over the gang violence in his West-Philadelphia neighborhood, Cardwell left Overbrook High School during his senior year and followed several friends into the service in January 1968. The 19-year-old was a rifleman and grenadier, assigned to Company A of the 1st Battalion, 46th Infantry, 198th Infantry Brigade. He was killed on May 14, 1969, when his platoon came under intense fire in Quang Tin, Vietnam, and be tried to reach a wounded soldier. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star. Survivors include his parents, two brothers and a sister.