So...
Let's say we've got your average 22-yr-old white male. He's a soldier, been trained and all that, so he's more fit than most. He's also recently been deployed in Iraq.
The situation lies thus:
SoldierMan is in Iraq, in a tank. They're just driving along (or however one phrases that when referring to a tank...) and a roadside bomb detonates.
Question A: What kind of bomb are we talking to get enough force to do some serious damage to our soldier and his fellow troops? I need this man injured--preferably a pretty screwed-up knee--but not dead, and not so close to dead that we're talking months and months and months in the hospital.
Question B: What, exactly, might be his injuries? I'm expecting shrapnel, and probably some sort of burn, but what kind of severity are we looking at? What would be my best option for screwing up his knee?
I want him in rehab for a sufficient length of time, and I need him getting an honourable discharge. At the same time, I need him able to be staying at his SO's house, after he's out of the hospital. Any ideas? My trauma-doc-pal was offering options for the knee-wrecking, but admitted that without knowing the force of the explosion and what all happened to the tank at the time, there were some things he just couldn't predict.
And, finally, my third question, aimed at Brits and anyone in the know on this sort of thing.
Question C: SoldierMan is a) a British citizen and b)rather important, socially speaking. Where would he be flown to, after being evacuated from Iraq? I know a lot of Americans are turfed through the German bases, but I'm not sure on anyone else. So... Where would he go? How long would he stay there? Would he be moved somewhere else?
Thank you all so much for any help you can offer!!!!