Good news so far. They’ve done surgery and have already had him up. He will soon (I’m not sure when) be sent to Ft. Hood for rehab and recovery and then allowed to come home to Tennessee for some time off. We still don’t have any idea of the severity of his injury, but things seems to be brighter now.
As others have noted, breaking your back doesn’t necessitate permanent effects. My mother broke several vertebrae as a teenager, and she recovered fully and runs marathons today. (Boston last year and this year!) Best of luck to your nephew, but if he wasn’t paralyzed right off the bat and the Army surgeons got to him quickly, he may even be able to complete his term of service.
I have a friend who broke his neck (no paralysis) in high school who went on to have full recovery then a great career in the Marines! And there is much truth that the current medical support of the US military has never been better.
Here are great wishes, and the sincere belief that with some fortune your nephew will recover fully and have the first of many interesting stories about his long life written.