Fort Bragg, N.C. ? A paratrooper from the 82nd Airborne Division who was wounded last week in an insurgent attack in Iraq has died, the Department of Defense said Tuesday.

Spc. Eric C. Palmer, 21, of Maize, Kan., died Sunday at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, the military said.

Palmer was wounded Thursday by small arms fire in Bayji, Iraq.

Palmer, who joined the Army in September 2004, had received the Bronze Star medal and the Purple Heart, among other awards and decorations.

He is survived by his father, John Palmer, and his mother, Dena K. Palmer, both of Maize; and a brother, Travis Palmer, of Fort Leavenworth, Kan.

Palmer’s death brings to at least 3,565 the number of U.S. military deaths since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

Since the start of military operations in Iraq, 26,350 U.S. service members have been wounded in hostile action, according to the Defense Department’s weekly tally.