my navy recruiter is brushing me off?

First, as has been posted, it's very imprudent (to say the least) to mess up the system with politicians. They tend to be mindless boobs with nothing between their ears but space and delusions of godhood. If something comes down from an elected official, you can bet the response will be, "Sir, we're looking into the matter," and your application will be tabled... indefinitely... while they're "looking into the matter."

In some branches (and frequently in the civilian world), politicking is standard operating procedure. It's who you know, and who will go to bat for you. But I think all the branches get a little perturbed when people set their elected dogs on them. In the Navy, playing politics tends to be kind of like a death sentence. Want to kill your chances of a promotion? Want to kill your chances of getting the duty station you want? Talk to anybody outside the chain of command... especially some elected pencil-pusher who has nothing to do but to convince others of his own importance. Most of these dolts' military experience is limited to playing with a GI-Joe doll with a kung-fu grip, two Rambo movies, and maybe a video game.

Second, you're dealing with a bureaucracy. They're bound by tons of rules and regulations. If there's anything in your past that can hold things up, I'd say that they'd try to work with you... but since you've brought in politicians... it's my humble opinion that they'll try to disqualify you. They don't want people in the Navy who are apt to contact their elected official when things don't the way they want.

I was in the Navy 25 years. About four as enlisted, and the rest as an officer. I haven't done much recruiting, but I have dealt with politicians. I spent a couple of tours at the Pentagon. And, at least in the Navy -- and in my experience, you really don't want them pretending they know what they're doing. How do you know they haven't the foggiest notion what they're doing? They write a letter to the Navy. If they knew what they were doing they'd write a letter to you telling you that it's a military matter, that you should let the military do its job... kind of what the recruiter suggested.

Third, if you have medical issues, that can hold things up. The recruiter can't render a medical decision. It's up to doctors. Doctors move slowly and cautiously. If there's concern that you might have some condition that could possibly render you incapacitated and make you a burden on the military, they're obligated to save the taxpayer that expense. On the other hand, if they're incorrect, they could be in trouble. Hence their caution.

Fourth, have you angered the Navy to the point your application is dead? I don't know. If they got three letters, it's likely. Is there anything you can do about it? I don't know that either. It's too late to stop the elected dolts... in their ignorance they've already done what they could to destroy your chances. You might call the recruiter and apologize. It might be better to write a letter. You might explain that you're anxious to start your Navy career (if in fact you plan to make it a career) and were getting concerned by the delay. You might ask him (or her) if there's anything you can do to expedite the process. If he/she tells you to sit tight, I'd do it. Before you leave it at that, you might ask if it's ok if you call back in a month or so to see what's going on. From here on out, whatever the outcome, I'd ask for advice on how you can help speed things along rather than demand action or information as to why you haven't heard anything. And further contacts would probably be best done by permission as I suggested.

Finally, as a couple of others have suggested, the Navy... all the branches... have become selective. The current administration has seen fit to wind down operations in Iraq. That makes a lot of service personnel available for reassignment. They don't need new personnel to fill those slots. That same administration has slashed military budgets and has promised more cuts, so the military is kind of stuck with being unable to pay and to train a lot of new personnel. This is what's alluded to as "down sizing" when, in reality, it's the decimation of the military. It seems to happen every time a wimpy administration wants to score points with an naive populace.

As for your chances, at this point I think I'd be cautiously pessimistic. Being pestered by elected dolts can make military brass uncomfortable. You may have unknowingly made a lot of people very uncomfortable. People in the military don't like that. I wish the news was better. Sorry.

If you went to the Governor, Senator and Congressman then you have probably pissed them off. You may have received letters, but the Recruiters office probably received phone calls from the offices of the Governor, Senator and Congressmen. Not a good idea going behind their backs, if you really need their help getting in.

The first thing about the military you have to learn is that there is a chain of command. Simply put, YOU DO NOT GO OVER ANYBODY"S HEAD! in spite of your intentions, writing to your senator, governor, congressman, whatever. all you have really succeeded in doing is getting people pissed off at you..

letters from your elected officals mean less than the paper they are printed on.. you either meet the standards or you do NOT. trying to use them to get in will only make yoru recruiter LESS willing to work with you.

and ANYONE who needs even the most minor of waivers cannot currently get in.

If you have disqualifying medical issues, then you are wasting his valuable time (and my tax dollars) with this. Having gone out of the chain of command, you are wasting more valuable resources. Leave him alone and let him do his job.

The Navy is downsizing. They aren't exactly hurting for people. Fix your spelling, and your grammar. They want competent candidates.