James Strickland was born on October 13, 1947, in Erwin, North Carolina. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on July 14, 1967, and completed basic training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in September 1967. Pvt Strickland next attended Advanced Individual Training as an Infantryman at Fort Polk, Louisiana, from September to November 1967, followed by service as an Infantryman with Company D, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment of the 196th Light Infantry Brigade in South Vietnam from December 1967 until he was captured by the viet cong in South Vietnam and taken as a Prisoner of War on January 8, 1968. After spending 668 days in captivity, SP4 Strickland was released by his captors on November 5, 1969. He was hospitalized to recover from his injuries at Womack Army Hospital on Fort Bragg, North Carolina, from November 1969 until he left active duty on January 28, 1970. Sgt Strickland remained in the Army Reserve until his honorable discharge on July 1, 1973. James Strickland died on January 2, 2003, and was buried at Dunn Memorial Gardens in Dunn, North Carolina.