Which is a stronger LOR ?

EmeraldPA

5-Year Member
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Dec 2, 2018
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DS is going through the USAFA application process now which allows 2 additional Letters of Recommendation in addition to math, english teacher etc. . Wondering which LOR might carry more weight or generally have more impact - (A) one from his brother who is heading into year 3 at the Academy or (B) our son's Sponsor Dad who has gotten to know our family so well over the past 2 years and is an Active Sponsor Family at the Academy as well as a well-decorated service member of the Army at Fort Carson. Thoughts from the experts?
Thank you in advance !
 
Are family members even authorized to write letters?

Either way, I’d recommend the latter as long as the sponsor dad can speak to your younger son’s character, integrity, leadership abilities and experiences first-hand.
 
The brother has a clear conflict of interest. USAFA cadet or not, that’s immediately clear. Additional LORs are effective to the degree that the person actually knows the candidate well enough to be a credible source. Make sure that’s the case, not just an exercise in name-dropping.
 
The letter from a family member will "go away" almost immediately.

A letter of recommendation from a military member "can" be valuable, or a complete bust. I have been an ALO for a LONG time and I spent 10 years on my MOC's /USS's nomination boards as an AF rep. The "secret" to a really impacting LOR is a letter from someone that truly, and I mean TRULY, knows the candidate and can speak first-hand to their integrity, talents, goals/desires, strengths, and weaknesses. They can paint a picture that truly informs the selection committee and puts a clear mental image into each evaluator's head of who this young person is and are they the "right choice" for an appointment.

Let me give you two brief examples of what I mean. Several years ago I had to evaluate two candidates that had "flag officer LOR's." One young man had a letter from an active duty 3-star general. It spoke in glowing terms of how he unhesitatingly recommended this young man, his father had flown with this general, and then served as his executive officer, and later as one of his squadron commanders when he was a wing commander, etc...fine family, outstanding education; the perfect choice. It was on official USAF Major Command Letterhead...very nice.

The other candidate was a nice young lady who, just like the young man, appeared to be a superb choice. She had a letter, from a recently retired 4-Star General, a Combatant Command Commander. It was on his "General's stationary" with the blue 4-star flag at the top, center. It was written in what appeared to be either an old Flair pen or a fine-point sharpie. It spoke about the young lady, he's her godfather (he was the fathers' commander when she was born) and over the ensuing 17 years, he'd followed her closely. The families were very close, they would get together on vacations, and he maintained a mentor (kindly uncle) role in her life. He spoke to all her qualities, desires, goals, you name it. He gave specific examples that he'd seen, and just painted a very clear picture. At the end he wrote something like "If you have ANY questions, this is my personal cell phone number, please call me directly!"

Which do you think hit harder?

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
 
The key to LOR is the author's connection to the applicant. I too fell victim to the trap of seeking the highest rank my family knew. As a reader of the letter, the language is key to unlocking the connection between author and candidate. Phrases like "he comes from good stock" (a state Governor wrote that) or "known their family for a long time" fall very flat because it is clear to the reader that this person is doing you a favor for writing the LOR but is walking a fine line of sharing with the reader that they really do not know the candidate per say, but know the family and if the family is great - the candidate is great by extension.

The most impressive LOR I have read to date while member of a MOC board was from the NAVY Chief Information Officer (CIO). My immediate thought was - great, another name dropper who's dad served with someone who is now a high ranking official, but I was wrong. The applicant had been an intern for the prior three summers with the CIO and he worked directly with him and the LOR spoke to his direct engagement with the candidate. The parents had created the opportunity, but the candidate did put in the work and did a good job in the role. The candidate received a NOM and is now at USNA.
 
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