I'm not a jaded old fudd yet, but the writing is on the wall.
Hey Dave-if you're as new to the shooting sports as it sounds, you'd be doing yourself a bit of a favour by passing on the military-styled semis...and picking up a bolt gun to start. Even a modestly-priced one like a Savage or Marlin will probably have a better trigger, be more accurate, be WAY easier to clean, easier to trouble-shoot (if they even have a problem), etc. There is so much more to shooting than what the gun looks like, and there is a reason why so many guys in this sport for so long end-up shooting bolt guns mostly, if not almost exclusively. I've been at it pretty hard for over 30 years and have had every action except a falling block. More than one pump/semi/lever gun/break action/bolt...and yet it's the bolt guns I reach for every time. In fact, I don't own any 22 that isn't a bolt gun now, and I'm happy with that 100%. Don't get me wrong..I can see the appeal, and fight the urges myself. However, when it comes to just cleaning one...that's where the benefits of a bolt gun become very apparent, and 22s tend to run a bit dirty. Especially semis.
Anyhow, to your question...the only "military" styled 22s that even held an ounce of appeal for me were the Ruger SR-22 and the Kel-Tec SU-22. I like the look of the latter more, but would trust the SR-22 to be more reliable. That 10-22 action is very forgiving when it comes to working with all kinds of ammo. My 10/22 literally couldn't hit a pop can at 50 yards reliably no matter what ammo/scope combination...so I'm done with Ruger semis, but they are fun to shoot!
Your $/your choice...but my suggestion would be to start with something you'll have good accuracy with, learn marksmanship fundamentals with, learn how to clean easily, put your bullets right where you want them with no "spray and pray" temptation...and THEN toy with the idea of a semi fun-gun. I'm a big CZ 452 fan (and Anschutz) but have had scads of fun with Savage Mark IIs, Cooeys, Marlin XT-22s, etc.
Good luck, let us know what you end-up getting. Always best to start with a decent .22...and some of us never like anything more.