I grew up in Erie, PA but I am currently an officer in the Army stationed at Fort Stewart which is near Savannah, Georgia.

The Midwest seem to be a popular choice in the chat along some areas of Texas are also good to consider for example, Austin or Dallas-Fort Worth.

Cheers from Fort Worth!

Knowing the Fort Collins market and it's price points a little bit, it doesn't sound like you're capitalized quite enough to get started flipping, especially when factoring in risk (properties in the $300-400k range will be high risk, not good locations).

We recently sold our rental house that we had in Fort Worth.

Quote from @Kobe Carr: Looking to get started with real-estate and would Dallas Texas be a good start for a beginner  I have a sfh in Fort Worth, beware your property taxes.

You might also want to check out Austin, San Antonio, and Fort Worth - all have their own strengths.

With every increasing regulations on short term rentals, midterm rentals is becoming more popular with investors. 
What has been your experience with midterm rentals in DFW?
Do you manage it yourself or hire a PM?

Ultimately, Lawton could be appealing to cash-flow-focused investors comfortable with high-risk, high-reward environments and looking to leverage a reliable rental base tied to Fort Sill.

This is a ~10-acre subdivision in a Dallas-Fort Worth suburb.