PS: My potential mentor would have me doing business as an affiliate of his company for the duration of the mentorship.

Over and beyond that, you do have to take 8 hours of continuing education each year (two 4 hour classes).Once licensed, if you plan on activating your license you'll have to work under a BIC (broker- in-charge), which means you'll need to affiliate with a brokerage.

Find a Realtor with both affiliations for the best coverage, I am not one of them.

Look first for experience, NARPM affiliation and how many properties they personally own and ask a LOT of questions.

I have no affiliation, I just love their legal books.  

You know the outcome either way and are at liberty to choose.”It’s noble for you to choose to support this person because of your past affiliation as a teammate but I would be wary of maintaining support on the principal that you should support them because they’re oversees serving regardless of how they are treating you and this professional relationship.

You know when I was a kid, I knew a few people who would do the kind of stuff you described...even then (and I admit was no saint) I couldn’t comprehend why someone would think that was an ok thing to do!

Once you find one with a NARPM affiliate logo, call them and I am sure they will share a vacancy report with you. 

Regardless of Military affiliation, does the state's landlord/tenant laws allow for such a large move-in fee?

I do not recommend TTK company (texasturnkeyproperties.com) and the affiliated RPM preferred.