ARLINGTON — The weather suited the mood of the small gathering at Arlington Municipal Airport Sept. 25, as Eichmann Strickland finally came home.

As rain dropped intermittently from dull gray clouds overhead, a dozen sailors from Naval Station Everett assembled in formation on the flight line, while nearly as many friends and family members of Strickland waited for his body to arrive.

The 23-year-old Arlington native and Lakewood High School Class of 2003 graduate was killed in action in Afghanistan Sept. 9, and a charter plane transported his remains to Arlington, arriving shortly after 1 p.m. Sept. 25.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Strickland was a Navy corpsman serving with the 3rd Brigade Embedded Training Team of the 201st Corps in the Panwar province, and he was killed by two anti-tank mines, detonated by Taliban insurgents.

Strickland was treating wounded Marines and Afghans, and training Afghan soldiers how to treat their own wounded. He planned on coming home for Christmas, and becoming a physician’s assistant after leaving the Navy.

Strickland declined an early discharge from the Navy in June of this year, and instead extended his term of service to go to Afghanistan. His return to Arlington was greeted not only by longtime friends of the family, such as Bill Lewis, but also by relatively recently gained friends, such as Air Force Staff Sgt. Harrizel Staszewski, who has known Strickland since March.

Services for Strickland will be open to the public and held Sept. 27 at 11 a.m. in Northshore Christian Church, on 5700 23rd Dr. W in Everett. The internment will take place at Everett Memorial Park.