I am at a small command, might have to go to the wing of the base to find someone like that. Thanks for the quick response too.
Hey Pawlus, not trying to discourage you from getting that heavy-weight LOR you're hoping for.
However, it shouldn't go without saying, LORs are meant to be more of a character-centric element, in just about any given application.
While having a higher-than-average ranking individual vouch for your accomplishments can
sound good, it's going to be hard (and possibly detrimental to your overall effort) to present yourself as a person worthy of commissioning, if the people vouching for you cannot go off of a strong rapport that has already been established for a certain period of time.
They can list your quals and talk about your immediate achievements at the command-level. But, assuming the board actually bothers to review LORs with a sharper eye than they do motivational statements, those are all things that you should be able to hold up to a light by yourself-- via your Evals and awards.
Simply put, you'll quickly learn that it is better to have an LT who can vouch for your day-to-day attitude, and your willingness to tackle any challenge in order accomplish the mission, than a quick paragraph from a One-Star who cannot
confidently speak to your potential as a leader.
Not to imply that nepotism isn't a fact of life in any working environment, only saying that there are usually people in your CoC/direct line of leadership who could easily go the distance for you if you asked (assuming that strong rapport is in place, of course).
Take all this with a grain of salt, but know that I share it with you (and anyone else reading this), because the premise of it is something I wish someone would have told me sooner in life, and because it is something that has personally helped me in the military, college,
and the private sector.
