He wants to see waterboarding allowed, backing a call made by Trump, and says: 'Trump is

He bravely fought back from the brink of death after suffering horrific wounds in Iraq.

Staff Sgt Bobby Henline lost four of his comrades when their Humvee was destroyed by a roadside bomb; he suffered 38 per cent burns to his body, spent two weeks in a coma and despite two years of treatment, lost his left arm.

He fought back by becoming a stand-up comic and found humor amid the horror in the hope it would help himself and others injured in combat.

Now Bobby has put his head above the parapet again and come out in support of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump - even offering to be a foreign policy advisor to the GOP front-runner.

Henline, 44, of San Antonio, Texas, is impressed with the billionaire's campaign and thinks he could help him fine-tune his policies.

New life: After the appalling wounds he suffered in Iraq, Bobby Henline has found a new way of living, moving states - and becoming a stand-up comedian. Now he wants to advise Donald Trump and see him as president

As he was: Henline was a staff sergeant in the 82nd Airborne when he was wounded, after a lengthy career, which saw him serve in Desert Storm in 1991 at the age of 19, then re-enlist and carry out four tours of Iraq

Backing: Trump's call to bring back waterboarding has resonated with Henline, who says: 'If you get captured you're getting your head cut off on TV. But then we can't pour water on their face to get them to talk to us.'

Trump has controversially called to bring back waterboarding and raised concerns that US troops have been banned from using the interrogation technique while terror group ISIS are 'chopping off people's heads'.

Henline, a veteran of four combat tours of Iraq, told Daily Mail Online he agreed with the tough stance.

'I have issues with some of the restrictions we have with the rules of engagement.

'If you get captured you're getting your head cut off on TV. But then we can't pour water on their face to get them to talk to us.

'That is frustrating. Waterboarding is something we would do to our own guys as part of training but we can't do it to this guy who is trying to kill us.

I would definitely advise Mr Trump. A good leader doesn't have to know everything. Nobody knows everything that's why you surround yourself with people who are experts in different areas. Trump is aggressive and that is good.'

'In a war situation you have to do things that you wouldn't normally do in life.

'I like that Trump is not another politician. I think it is smart to have a businessman in the White House.

'I think one of the president and vice president should be a businessman and the other should be military.

'I would definitely advise Mr Trump. A good leader doesn't have to know everything. Nobody knows everything that's why you surround yourself with people who are experts in different areas.

'That's what makes a good leader. Someone who can motivate the people like that. Trump is aggressive and that is good.'

While Henline considers himself an independent, he says Trump would be his 'preference' from the candidates running to be president because he is 'out of the box'.

But he does not back all of Trump's foreign policies including his pledge to 'bomb the hell' out of ISIS, having served first in Operation Desert Storm - the 1991 operation to end Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait - then re-enlisting and serving again.

'You don't want to just "bomb the hell out of them" - there are good people there,' he said.

'But we definitely need boots on the ground. I would go back myself if I could. I was in Desert Storm then I went back three more times.

'Then I went back three more times after I got hurt doing comedy for the troops.

'I know they say we kicked out Saddam Hussein then lost control of the country and that's how ISIS was able to get in. But you've got to keep fighting. It takes time to win the hearts and minds.'

Henline, who served with the 82nd Airborne Division and 3rd Armored Calvary Regiment, became one of America's most high-profile veterans when he turned to comedy during his recovery.

Appalling toll: Bobby Henline's burns left him in a coma for two weeks then a long and difficult road to recovery, which eventually saw him lose his left arm.

Support: Staff Sgt Henline with Brigadier General David G. Clarkson, in the wake of his injuries

Humor: After his occupational therapist told him he was funny, he turned to stand-up. 'I had a good time in Iraq, but that last tour was a real blast. It took me four tours to realize my lucky number is three,' he jokes.

He walks on stage and breaks the silence by saying: 'You should see the other guy.'

His act also includes the joke: 'I had a good time in Iraq, but that last tour was a real blast. It took me four tours to realize my lucky number is three.'

He uses his stand-up shows to raise money for veterans and increase awareness of PTSD. He is now also hoping to give back to the military community who lifted him from his darkest days by launching a franchise of burger joints run and staffed by veterans.

Bobby also recently starred in a movie alongside Diane Ladd, 80, called Sophie and the Rising Sun that debuted at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.

He plays a World War I veteran disfigured by mustard gas in the World War II-era romance.

And he said: 'I would love to see more people with disfigurement and burns in movies. I want to be the Tyler Perry of burnt people - I want to make romantic comedies with burnt people in them!'

But despite retaining his cheerful personality, Bobby has been through a daily struggle and more than 40 operations in his battle to overcome his injuries.

He wanted to die for the first year after the attack. And two years ago he divorced from his wife of 20 years and the mother of his three children, Connie, after the dynamics of their marriage were changed by his condition.

The devastating injuries happened on April 7 2007, as Henline and his unit from 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, led a convoy delivering supplies to soldiers north of Baghdad.

Near the village of Zaganiyah in Diyala province, a roadside bomb exploded under the Humvee.

Capt. Jonathan Grassbaugh, Spc. Ebe Emolo, Spc. Levi Hoover and Pfc. Rodney McCandless were all killed instantly.

'I don't remember anything from that day, I just remember waking up in the hospital. But three or four artillery rounds buried in the side of the road had blown the Humvee 20 meters and turned it upside down.

'I was the only survivor out of five guys and was burnt over 38 per cent of my body.

'My head was burnt to the skull. I had my hand for two years and we tried to get it to work again but it just wouldn't work. I kept saying: "Just take it off."

'They gave it two years then took it off. It was an easy decision for me to make. It was causing me pain and it didn't work - so get rid of it.

'The first year was the hardest when I was trying to figure it all out. Why was I alive? Why did I make it? You get that survivor's guilt. You don't want to be alive - I felt worthless and like a burden on my family.

'These families who lost their loved ones, their sons and fathers, were trying to help my family out. They were trying to see what they could do for us - it was just overwhelming.

'I would pray to God every night for that first year. I'd say: 'I'm a burden on my family, I shouldn't be here.' I would ask him to take me every night. But after that year I got a little healthier and thought: 'OK, I'm still here. I can't waste what I have been given.'

'I had to put into perspective that if I hadn't made it and one of the other guys had, what would I want for them. I wouldn't want them to give up. I would want them to live their life to the fullest, continue on and serve. I have to remind myself of that from time to time - I have to keep on for them.

'The best revenge I can get is to help more people that that guy hurt. I consider myself blessed.

Lost comrades: PFC Rodney McCandless; Spec Levi Hoover; Cpt Jonathan Grassbaugh; and Spec Ebe Emolo, all of whom were killed in the IED attack which wounded Staff Sgy Bobby Henline

Public support: Henline has used his social media profile to support Trump and says of the presidential candidate: ''I think it is smart to have a businessman in the White House.

'I think about life and all the stuff you almost weren't here for. I think about all the guys who didn't come back that day and their families. It's going to be an emotional week, for sure.'

Bobby started using humor to cope shortly after emerging from his two-week coma and in August 2009, just over two years after the attack, he performed his first comedy set at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles.

He said: 'I didn't want to do it at first but I got talked into it by my occupational therapist. I was joking around at the hospital, it's how I dealt with the pain.

'She said: "You're funny, you should do stand-up comedy." I thought there was no way I could go to the general public and say: "I got blown up in Iraq, isn't that funny?"

'Now I do a lot of comedy shows to raise money for veterans. It's definitely therapeutic. I haven't changed. I'm still a happy-go-lucky guy.'

Bobby's family relocated from San Jose, California, to Texas after the incident to be closer to the Brooke Army Medical Center where he was being treated.

But his injuries ended up being too much strain on his marriage and he divorced two years ago.

He explained: 'We lost that intimacy when she became the caretaker and I was the patient. Now we get along great and communicate a lot better. We have three children together who are 17, 18 and 24 and and they were like: "What took you guys so long?"'

Bobby is now trying to help fellow veterans by opening a burger chain that will employ ex-soldiers and given them the opportunity to become franchise owners.

He has launched an online fundraising campaign to kickstart the scheme that aims to give veterans careers after they return from serving their country.

The inspiration for the burger joint Bobby hopes to open in San Antonio, called Biggie's Burger and Great Shakes, is another restaurant of the same name in San Clemente, California, owned by Korean War veteran Richard Brown.

The pair have decided to go into business together and build a chain of Biggie's restaurants all owned by vets. They are currently raising money on a GoFundMe page to get the scheme started and open the San Antonio branch and have received more than $50,000 in donations so far.

He said: 'We are going into partnership to start a franchise for veterans.