A Fort Richardson paratrooper who was injured by a rocket-propelled grenade this month in Afghanistan died from his wounds Friday, the U.S. Army Alaska said.

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Pfc. Matthew M. Martinek

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Pfc. Matthew M. Martinek, 20, of DeKalb, Ill., was one of six soldiers wounded Sept. 4 in Paktika province after a roadside bomb crippled their vehicle. Martinek and the soldiers were trying to recover the vehicle when small-arms fire erupted and a rocket-propelled grenade hit, killing 2nd Lt. Darryn Andrews and wounding the others, according to the Department of Defense. Martinek was mortally injured and was transported to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, where he died Friday. All the soldiers were assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division.

Martinek joined the Army in March 2008, according to Fort Richardson. He arrived in Alaska in September 2008 and deployed to Afdied ghanistan in March. His next of kin have been notified.

As of Friday, 23 Alaska-based soldiers have died this year, according to the Army. Seventeen of the deaths were combat-related.

The 4th Brigade Combat Team has sustained 13 deaths, 11 combat-related. At least six deaths have occurred since mid-August.

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