First home purchase/looking to start investing in real estate.

[William Moorman]

First time posting on BP. I'm getting out of the military soon and am thinking about using the VA loan to purchase my first home (to live in). However, I am also very interested in investing in rental properties for the purpose of building some wealth for the long term. Is using the the VA loan for a personal home in the immediate future a mistake? Is there a better way to integrate the purchase of a home for myself into an overall rental properties plan? I'm not even sure if I'm asking the right questions, so I'm open to any and all advice. Thanks!