Hey there,
You're very welcome! To your points:
1) Generally, yes. It all comes down to "proxy" - where you work, where you went to school, etc. - all tell the adcom something about who you were and where you came from before that point. There are a lot of factors when it comes to proxies - where you live, resources (I know you were the 1st to go) but they are important indicators. And there are things to consider as well - some schools turn out candidates that just perform better, year over year. So it's not all rank and ivy. Georgia Tech is a huge feeder to bschools and for a reason. A 3.8 from Princeton is more impressive than a 3.8 from #150 and while you might not feel that might be applicable in your case, overall those perceptions exist for a reason. That said - you have some serious constraints and those are very valid to convey.
2) My apologies Staff Sgt
. If you're not a CO, then NCO is the next best thing. That closes the gap significantly. It would be great if you could write "1st Lieutenant" or "Captain" but if you can't, you can't. You'll at least still have the rest of it to talk about!
Hope that helps clarify it a bit - let me know if you have any other questions. Happy to help!
Bhavik