heinzketchup123

Oh I forgot to mention, since you haven't graduated yet, I recommend you take at least one more quant oriented class to improve your chances. Something with tint of econometrics would be great. I mean your GPA is so high, its not like you can go much lower. A more advanced micro-econ would be great. Anything that involves Calculus would also be helpful. 

Bahahaha nice catch deducing I’m from Mason. I guess saying im from a commuter school (aside from my mentioning of the program) was a dead giveaway. 
You don’t know how much I really appreciate all the feedback you’re giving us and others. I’ve actually been reading a bunch of your previous posts I also agree with you that I should seriously consider sanford, batten and heinz if I want to get what I’m looking for. 
Thank you so much for all of your insight and support! It seriously means a lot.

Wow! You are in such an advantageous position.
Lets focus on 2 things.
1. Your 1st Undergrad
I view your first undergraduate (and all the things you did with it - extra curricular and classes) as irrelevant. However, I'm not sure as what is the best tactic for doing it so. You could check with each admissions office and get there take. I view them telling you to do one of two things.
1. (What I think might be the smartest thing) Send them your transcript for your both schools - but prioritize the good one up top) + send an academic addendum to explain how you fixed yourself - they usually love a turn around story
2. Basically start your resume + application from enlisting in the Army onwards and work as if you never went your first undergrad 
HOWEVER... you always want to be honest, this is why I would check with admissions. Stay something along the lines that you went to college as a child prodigy, but it didn't work out for you at all so you pivoted your life.
2. Schools with a Good Community (AKA: Avoiding the George Mason undergrad experience)
a. Lets start with what schools are very well known for having terrible community engagement.
1. Columbia SIPA
2. NYU Wagner 
Bottom line, most people have their own NYC life and aside from niche policy specialities (that are really tight with each other), there really isn't much greater community spirit
b. The size problem at HKS
HKS is interesting because they have a very collegial culture. HOWEVER one problem with it is that the program is so big (they have their own mega building in Harvard Square for crying out loud) it can be logistically challenging to build a community, and I have met quite a few people that fell through the cracks (I have family members who went to HKS btw). 
c. The culture problem at Georgetown McCourt MPP
Georgetown McCourt has the benefits of a centralized confined space for people to meet each other regularly (even when they move to the partition in the downtown) and a smaller program (about 120ish per year group --> all degree programs). HOWEVER... McCourt has this really interesting clique culture which the thing to do is to a join a following (usually this built upon clubs). The problem is that by spending time with building social cliques and which powerful person you align yourself to (or the many people you influence), people de-prioritize career, meaningful social impact, and etc.. Hence the more career successful people from McCourt are either the those who avoid the clique system.
What is very interesting for me is that the people that ruled the cliques were people who never really held leadership or glamour roles previously and viewed this as their chance to shine. Most people who were previously Newspaper Editors, Class Presidents, Social Chairs, Sorority/Frat Chairs in college, aged out of that stuff and didn't care.
I have written extensively about McCourt here:
d. GWU Trachtenburg and the intern system
GWU is interesting because they are all about having experiential learning and sending people to internship experiences throughout the year. That naturally means a more diluted community from what I seen.
3. Schools with Amazing Community
So the schools I know with amazing community (and great programming too) are:
a. Duke Terry Sanford
b. Carnegie Melon - Heinz (especially the DC campus option --> they all seemed rather tight for going to the DC campus)
c. UVA Batten (although this skews young)
d. Oxford MPP (rather unique cultural experience --> I really love the British style of no holds bar open conversation education + pub learning
4. What you should know about being prior military
So although you are in advantageous situation, how advantageous your situation is depends on how many other military apply (and the diversity of their background). You can never really predict that. However, being prior-Enlisted generally goes in your favor.

HOWEVER... be warned in that a lot of times schools just want you so they can add up their stats of # of diverse students (which veteran often counts was) + will give your scholarship. I would say just be smart and don't be hood winked by we are pro-military pomp and see if each school serves your true interests. 

I have been in meetings where admissions Officers openly discuss how they needed more veterans and were strategizing how to modify their advertising to appeal more to veterans (marketing, not substance). This is especially true since the Chinese international student market has shrank and they need alternatives to achieve markers of diversity. 
5. If you can help it, don't got to American SPS
The school spent a lot of money investing in infrastructure + new programming, so it will look all shiny and special. HOWEVER, the fact of the matter is that American SPS simply is not that good of Public Policy School in terms setting up their students for success.
I rarely (if ever) see their students in policy challenges, case competitions, symposiums, and research presentations (even one held at American University). Nor have I seen them at ANY of my internships (and I had 4-5 in Policy school). 
One thing that is sad is where I have seen a lot of recent SPS alumni - working as waiters and hosts at restaurants (seen them in Boston and DC, with recent grads overhearing my convos about MPP and they chime in that they went to SPS --> happened a few times now).