A Beatrice soldier is in a San Antonio, Texas military hospital after being seriously injured in a recent roadside bomb attack in Iraq.

Darren Howe was on his second tour of duty when he and other soldiers were injured in the blast.

Howe's stepfather, Greg Klaus of Beatrice, says Howe was able to drive the truck from the explosion site, even as the truck was on fire. Klaus says one soldier died from the attack.

Howe is at Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston with second and third-degree burns over 30 percent of his body -- mostly to his upper body and face. He remains on a ventilator because of fire and smoke damage to his lungs.

Klaus says his stepson faces a long recovery following skin grafts, but his prognosis is good.