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Jesse Ventura saw action in the Vietnam War as a Navy SEAL.

In fact he didn't. He was stationed in the Philippines with a Underwater Demolitions Team.

That Dennis Franz thing, I don't know, it caused a little jump of the old meter. It's hard to say without a detailed bio, and the net has its usual fragmentary info. Typical net bio says went on to study theater [Southern Illinois University] in college. After graduating in 1969, he was drafted into the army and spent 11 months on the front lines of Vietnam with the 82nd [and 101st] Airborne recon unit. Although Dennis made it home in 1970,
Graduated spring (?) 1969 drafted and in an "airborne recon unit" in Vietnam the same year. One on-line source mentioned "officer school" (not unusual for a college grad) but no mention of his rank in any story which would usually mean he was enlisted. The 82nd had one brigade in Vietnam sent in for the Tet emergency (Jan.'68) that stayed for 22 months and [i]n September 1969, the Brigade conducted its last combat operation in Vietnam -- YORKTOWN VICTOR -- in the iron triangle. The 3rd Brigade returned to Fort Bragg and the 82nd on 12 December 1969. That could explain why he served in both the 82nd and 101st staying on after the 82nd left, but . . .

In fact, a close friend of mine was a a Navy seal in Viet Nam and participated in many clandestine missions with Senator Kerrey and Gov Ventura. He told me that Ventura was every bit the loud mouth that he portrayed as a professional wrestler but there is no one he would rather have at his back while chasing Viet Cong in the jungle.

I don't want to go tell Steve that he's a liar and that he never soldiered with Ventura in Viet Nam.

Jesse Ventura would not be a good example to use. With his obnoxious self-promotion and questionable credibility of his service during Vietnam, Jesse is not a veteran that many people want to deal with these days. Too many open questions, too few answers.