Irish, we are from the same state, s never wrote to any of his nom sources. He has managed to get nom from 1 Sen (friday), interview with the 2nd is early Jan. Made the 2nd cut for congressional (results due in a few weeks). Your record is what they are reviewing, what the military calls rack and stack. I am sure if you were a personal friend of a sen. it MAY have a difference, but a letter is only going to the person in charge of their mail and IMO probably find its way into the circular filing cabinet. As an example our congressman's SA committee is in a different office than his contact office, only when you make it through the 1st cut do you have a personal contact. One of our Senators also operates in the same manner. If you sent a letter to introduce yourself in our state (NC) to one of the Sen. it would never make it to the SA committee b/c you don't even know the contact name to use as "attention to". If I am right you are a jr. relax, the MOCs in NC currently are 2 busy with the class of 2012, you 1st have to get past the pre-candidate, become and applicant, than a candidate, pass DODmerb and CFA, be assigned an ALO, than go for your noms.