Army Cpl. Eric C. Palmer

Died June 24, 2007 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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21, of Maize, Kan.; assigned to 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died June 24 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany, of wounds sustained when his unit was attacked by insurgents using small-arms fire June 21 in Bayji, Iraq.

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Kansas soldier dies from Iraq wounds

The Associated Press

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 June 26.

Cpl. Eric C. Palmer, 21, of Maize, Kan., died June 24 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, the military said.

Palmer was wounded June 21 by small-arms fire in Bayji, Iraq. He was a member of the division’s 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team.

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, Kan.; and his brother, Travis Palmer, of Fort Leavenworth, Kan.

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Kansas soldier killed in Iraq remembered as selfless, artistic

The Associated Press

Army Spc. Eric C. Palmer Eric C. Palmer was artistic and liked to express himself through words and music.

“He definitely made you laugh. He wasn’t really a jokester. He had a sensitive and a serious side,” said his brother, Travis Palmer. “He liked having a good time and enjoying friends and family. He didn’t treat his friends any different than he treated his family.”

Palmer, 21, of Maize, Kan., died June 24 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center of wounds suffered from small-arms fire June 21 in Bayji, Iraq. He was a 2004 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Bragg, N.C.

“He wanted to jump out of planes,” Travis Palmer said. “He’d try anything once. He just liked to have a good time.”

As Travis Palmer sorted through his brother’s things, he came across a poem his brother wrote during his senior year. He fought back tears as he read a line he said described his brother accurately. “I no longer think like others, but think of others.”

He also is survived by his father, John Palmer, and his mother, Dena K. Palmer.

“He definitely was his own person,” Travis Palmer said.

“Mostly, he was very unselfish and he liked to help people.”