Jesse Ventura Was One Of Hollywood’s Tough Guys, But His Military Service Raised A Lot Of Questions

So how did these rumors get started? Well, Ventura was a vital part of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) for many years. Not only did he compete in the ring, but he also commentated on the action, too. And he then put his performance skills to good use on the big screen – showing up alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in both The Running Man and Predator in 1987.

Long before Ventura became famous, though, he experienced life in the military. Yes, for almost six years from December 1969, the man nicknamed “The Body” served in the Vietnam War. Yet some have disputed his claims that he rose to the rank of Navy SEAL. And it takes a closer look at the star’s career and his veteran life to finally separate fact from fiction.

Jesse Ventura was born James George Janos in Minneapolis in 1951 to parents of Slovakian and German descent. He began wrestling in the mid-1970s. The star also used his strength as a bodyguard for The Rolling Stones. But Ventura soon became a celebrity himself when he adopted the brand new persona of a bleached blond bully.

Yes, Ventura certainly didn’t mind playing dirty. His catchphrase became, “Win if you can, lose if you must, but always cheat.” And wrestling fans lapped it up as he performed across the Central States and Pacific Northwest territories. Ventura twice won the title during his stint in the latter – before moving back home to compete in the American Wrestling Association.

In Minnesota, Ventura joined forces with Adrian Adonis, and the pair went on to hold the World Tag Team Championship Title for almost 12 months. Both parties then became contenders for the singles title when they transferred to the WWF. In fact, Ventura came agonizingly close to being crowned champion during bouts against Bob Backlund and Hulk Hogan.

But Ventura’s wrestling career was derailed in 1984 when doctors discovered several blood clots in his lungs. He did return to action a year later, however, as the tag-team partner of Randy Savage. And Ventura also participated in a memorable six-man bout involving a wedding ceremony on Saturday Night’s Main Event IV. But he was never the same and shortly after, he moved from the ring to the commentary box.

Ventura proved to be just as popular with viewers talking about wrestling, too. Unlike most commentators, “The Body” typically favored the villains of the piece. So his entertaining, contrasting style saw him become a regular co-host of WrestleMania and Saturday Night’s Main Event. Ventura also returned to the ring to guest referee during the inaugural SummerSlam.

In 1992 Ventura left the WWF for the WCW – but was fired two years later after reportedly falling asleep on the job. Nevertheless, The Body returned to his old stomping ground in 1999 as a guest referee and then a color commentator. But by this point, Jesse Ventura had achieved success in a very different field: pursuing public office at the local and state level.

After leaving office, the star landed his own short-lived MSNBC show titled Jesse Ventura’s America. And despite that series’ lack of success, TNT handed the star another vehicle in 2009: Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura. The star would also go on to host Ora TV’s Off the Grid and RT America’s The World According to Jesse.

Of course, Ventura had already had plenty of experience in front of the cameras. As his WWF career began to wind down, in fact, the wrestler had decided to pursue his acting ambitions in Hollywood. As we mentioned earlier, he twice shared the screen in 1987 with another sportsman-turned-Governor: Arnold Schwarzenegger – firstly in Predator and then in The Running Man.

Ventura also enjoyed leading man status in the 1990 sci-fi movie Abraxas, Guardian of the Universe. He added to his filmography with supporting turns in Demolition Man, Ricochet and the much-maligned Batman and Robin, too. Ventura then played himself in Repossessed, The Master of Disguise and Major League II. And Ventura’s talents don’t end at acting, either: he’s also published several books.

Ventura has been supported throughout all of his endeavors by his wife, Terry. They married just three days after the wrestler turned 24 in 1975 and have two kids together: TV and film director Tyrel and a daughter named Jade. The star has worked with the former on several occasions – most notably on his Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura show.

So few can dispute that Ventura is a man of many talents. However, some have accused him of embellishing at least one major entry on his resume. In 2014, you see, San Diego attorney Bill Salisbury claimed that the former WWF wrestler had lied about being a Navy SEAL before he rose to national fame. Ventura in fact served with an associated unit, which saw relatively little combat during the Vietnam War.

So what is the truth? Well, Ventura first joined the U.S. Navy and was deployed in the Vietnam War in 1969. The star spent then six years with the military – although he never saw combat. Ventura followed in the footsteps of his older sibling, Jan, who had signed up to the Navy SEALS a few years previously.

Unsurprisingly, Ventura referenced his experiences in the military during his political career on many occasions. He told the Minneapolis Star Tribune in 2001, “Until you have hunted men, you haven’t hunted yet.” And his comment drew criticism from both conservationists and hunters alike.

However, Ventura has often kept the specifics to a minimum. In the same interview with the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Mike Kaszuba and Pat Doyle, the star declared, “What I did there is between me and the man upstairs.” Yet Mike Gotchey, an old comrade, has stated that due to the timing of their military stint, their unit saw barely any action at all.

In fact, according to an unnamed insider, Ventura had been far more interested in partying than serving his country. The star apparently enjoyed the odd tipple or two at many of the 350 drinking establishments situated near his Navy base at the Philippines’ Subic Bay. And he also reportedly had his fair share of luck with the women.

An ex-Navy SEAL officer himself, Salisbury argued that Ventura had served with the Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) as a frogman. This, Salisbury argued, was a position that meant Ventura didn’t see as much combat as he would have done as a Navy SEAL. And Salisbury believed he had plenty of evidence to back up his theory.

Salisbury wrote, “[Ventura] took a screening test at boot camp to qualify for… Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training… Those who completed BUD/S, when [Ventura] was in training, were sent to either a SEAL or an underwater demolition team. Graduation did not, however, authorize the trainee to call himself a SEAL or a UDT frogman. He had to first successfully complete a six-month probationary period in the Teams.”

Ventura was, in fact, assigned to a UDT team after undergoing BUD/S training. However, he was reportedly never given the necessary classification – nor did he undertake the relevant probationary period of six months – to be called a SEAL. Yet changes in the military system mean that Ventura might not have been exaggerating his position after all.

Almost a decade after Ventura left the U.S. military, you see, the Underwater Demolition Teams were broken up. Those individuals affected were then given the option to undergo new training and take on new tasks under the guise of SEALs. And Ventura has used this significant restructuring as a form of defense against his detractors.

A spokesman for Ventura responded to the claims that the then-Governor had been economical with the truth about his military life. They confirmed that the former wrestler had been a vital part of the UDT and argued that he’d never attempted to fool the public into thinking anything else.

“Much ado about nothing.” That’s how Ventura himself described all the speculation around his military service in an interview with Minneapolis radio station WCCO in 1999. He went on to defend himself further by arguing, “Today we refer to all of us as SEALS. That’s all it is.” Luckily, the ex-WWF villain had plenty of others willing to fight in his corner.

Brandon Webb, the editor of the SOFREP.com website and an ex-Navy SEAL to boot, was among the star’s most fervent supporters. Webb wrote in 2014, “I’ve heard the speculation and gossip about Jesse Ventura’s Navy SEAL status and wanted to set the record straight. Jesse Ventura graduated with Basic Underwater Demolition Class 58 and, like it or not, he earned his status.”

Webb went on to argue that Ventura had every right to call himself a SEAL. He said, “The UDTs and SEALs are essentially one and the same. It’s why the UDT is still part of the training acronym BUD/S. [Ventura] did the pushups and put up with the cold water, just like the rest of us.”

But whatever role he took on during the Vietnam War, Ventura claims that he would think very differently about signing up as a youth today. In 2017 he told Task and Purpose, “I will say this, and it hurts to say it. I think there’s a possibility that I wouldn’t serve in the military again, knowing what I know today. Since World War II, every war our country has fought in hasn’t achieved a thing.”

Ventura’s anti-war sentiments have landed him in trouble on several occasions, too. None more so than in 2006 when he allegedly claimed, at a wake for fallen Navy SEAL Michael A. Monsoor, that the U.S. military “deserved to lose a few guys.” A nearby Chris Kyle, according to his best-selling book American Sniper, then punched Ventura for his show of disrespect.

However, Ventura vehemently denied that an altercation with Kyle had ever taken place. He wrote on Facebook in 2012, “I have always opposed the war in Iraq, but I have never spoken or wished any ill will towards the soldiers. My heart aches that soldiers have died or been wounded because this war should never have taken place. I am perplexed over the agenda this man has and why a fellow Navy SEAL would tell a lie about an event that never happened.”

When Kyle failed to retract his allegations, though, Ventura filed a lawsuit for defamation. Close friend and ex-SEAL Bill DeWitt and his wife supported the wrestler in his efforts, too. However, no fewer than five different former SEALS, as well as the moms of two others, backed Kyle up. Yet before the case went to court, tragedy struck.

In 2013 an ex-marine suffering from PTSD killed Kyle at a shooting range. But the jury trial still went ahead, with Kyle’s wife, estate executor Taya, standing in as the defendant. And after deliberations lasting six days, Ventura was awarded a whopping $1.8 million for unjust enrichment and defamation.

Yet the story didn’t end there. Over the next few years, Tara Kyle lodged several unsuccessful appeals in an attempt to overturn the verdict. Ventura also sued Harper Collins, claiming that the publishers of American Sniper had hugely benefited from the media attention surrounding the case. He eventually accepted a settlement in 2017.

So what’s next for Ventura? Well, there’s still an outside shot that he could run for office in the future as a member of the Green Party. And he fancies his chances, too.