Petty Officer Third Class Eichmann A. Strickland died on September 9, 2008, while serving in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. Strickland was killed when the vehicle he was driving encountered a makeshift bomb in Afghanya Valley, northwest of Kabul. He was 23 years old at the time of his death. His funeral took place at Northshore Christian Church in Everett, Washington, and he was buried at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park, also in Everett.