There are hundreds of hours of podcasts and they even have a beginner investor podcast now which is perfect for folks starting out.

You'll find there are lots of fellow active duty military folks on these forums who are also real estate investors.

Are there any folks here with experience with small apartment complexes and PMs that would care to share their experiences and contacts?

My Property Manager doesn't seem to have any good vendors other than "mow & blow" folks. 

You cut out the middle man and build relationships with folks who likely have more time than the general contractor.  

Hello folks,We recently bought our first duplex and we are obviously house hacking.A small problem though, we have an outdoor staircase which is very unstable and ready to break off anytime someone is on it.Question: how to fix this problem ?

And not just the folks that can help you but also the folks you can help.

Also I'm always willing to network from time to time if you end up getting together with some like minded folks.

Are you looking at student housing or regular folk?  

and if you really want to syndicate I suggest spending time talking to some that do this -  there are several folks here who you might reach out to.....