Hello guys, Need help! So am a US citizen living in India for almost my entire life....I am a rising senior and though my parents have lived and worked in New Jersey for 4 years they are not US Citizens and have never voted. We do have relatives but do not own any property and it has been more than 10 years since we left New Jersey. Will I still be able to apply for congressional nominations? Also simce the USMMA does not accept nominations from the VP am I ineligible to apply to USMMA?
Reviewing the statutory authority, I do not think it is clear that you are eligible to obtain a nomination from a Member of Congress to one of the DoD SAs.
By way of example, the statutory language for selection of USMA Cadets, states that: cadets are selected as follows:
"(3)
Ten cadets
from each State, five of whom are nominated by each Senator from that State.
(4)
Five cadets
from each congressional district, nominated by the Representative from the district.
Review of the statutory authority."
The issue I see is that you cannot clearly state that you are "from" a particular state or "from" a particular district. Having said this, both the Members of Congress and the Service Academies may have a role to play interpreting the statute, and more specifically whether they consider you to be "from" NJ and "from" the district where you once lived.
IMO, it seems a bit of a stretch to say that you are from a particular state or district simply because you lived there 10 years ago as a child for 4 years. Still, since your connection to NJ is the only physical connection you held to a state, I do think that is the state it makes sense to inquire in. My advice might be to also reach out to admissions and get guidance. Admissions must have seen this issue at some point and likely will have a policy as to where you may seek a nomination and your being able to communicate the academy's views to the Member of Congress may be helpful.
Additionally, if you cannot seek a congressional nomination, it would be good to get on the SAs radar as someone who might need the VP nomination because other typical nominating paths are not available.
Finally, I do not think it is surprising that it would take in excess of a week for a Member of Congress to respond to your inquiry, especially during the summer, and because the question may not be one they have previously needed to answer.
Just kidding
