Well as a retired NCO and former Congressional Staffer for the US House I can tell you that your misconceptions about "noisy legislators" and commanders not "bending a knee" to a sitting member of the US House or Senate are special. And by special I mean made up, unfounded, and totally wrong.
What I suggested is how problems get identified and how things get the attention they need. AND any commander who has the ignorance to tread against the very fabric of our democracy and "retaliate" against someone for contacting them will NOT be retaining their commission very long. I have to date NEVER seen anything but the utmost professionalism and courtesy rendered by each branch of service in their dealings with those who set their budgets, enact our laws, and determines who make what bird or what star and when.
Its not as simple as contacting a unit directly. Oh no, no, any inquiry goes to DC to the branch of service congressional liaison who in turn forwards it through the Secretary of the concerned branch and it goes down the chain from there. The response goes back up the chain and then comes back across gift wrapped with a nice bow with extra customs and courtesy and more times than not a solution.
Take offense, hurried, bend a knee, all of this is pure speculatory commentary from someone who truly doesn't know.
Send the congressional. No harm will come from it; believe me. The squeaky wheel gets the grease and if it wasn't for the massive engagements of veterans organizations, constituents, and offices such as the BCMR constantly getting poked in the eye we wouldn't have things such as the IDES, the PDBR, DRB, and the latest relaxed criteria handed out by congress for all due consideration of Vietnam veterans with bad paper discharges getting and upgrade due to PTSD, etc.
If you're that worried about it; have a sitting member of the Armed Services Committee do the inquiry on your behalf. Congressional courtesy dictates them to do so and I promise you they'll respond so quickly it'll make your head spin going that route.