I was thinking of an option in which you can have advanced death notifications, telling you what killed the soldier. Here are my examples:
Killed By Sectoid Shot: "(Soldier) was slain by a Sectoid!"
Killed By Cyberdisc Shot/Explosion: "(Soldier) got blasted by a Cyberdisc!"
Killed By Floater Shot: "(Soldier) was taken down by a Floater!"
Killed By Reaper Melee: "(Soldier) was fed to a Reaper!"
Killed By Snakeman Shot: "(Soldier) had (his/her) life snuffed out by a Snakeman!"
Killed By Chryssalid Melee: "(Soldier) was zombified by a Chryssalid's claw!
Killed By Zombie Melee: "(Soldier) has (his/her) brains eaten by a Chryssalid's Zombie!
Killed By Muton Shot: "(Soldier) has been mashed by a Muton!"
Killed By Celatid Shot: "(Soldier) drank acid from a Celatid!"
Killed By Silacoid Melee: "(Soldier) got scorched by a Silacoid!"
Killed By Ethereal Shot: "(Soldier) had been eliminated from the battle by an Ethereal!"
Killed By Sectopod Shot: "(Soldier) was slaughtered by a Sectopod!"
Killed By Grenade/High Explosive/Proximity Grenade/Alien Grenade Explosion: "(Soldier) got blown up by a grenade!"
Killed By Friendly Fire or Mind-Controlled Soldier or Mind-Controlled Soldier Killed by a friendly soldier: "(Soldier) died in a friendly fire incident!"
Killed By an Environmental Explosion: "(Soldier) was detonated by a nearby volatile object!"
Killed By Fire: "(Soldier) went out in flames!"
Killed By Rocket: "(Soldier) rode a rocket into oblivion!"
Killed By High Explosive Shot: "(Soldier) was smacked down by an explosive shot!"
Killed By Blaster Bomb: "(Soldier) was blown to hell by a Blaster Bomb!"
Also, there should be a notification for when a tank is destroyed. Depending on the tank, it would say:
"Tank/Cannon has been destroyed."
"Tank/Rocket Launcher was rendered inoperable."
"Tank/Laser Cannon has been wrecked."
"Hovertank/Plasma Cannon was shot down."
"Hovertank/Blaster has been crushed."