Jesse “The Liar” Ventura was not a SEAL for one day in his life. From 62 to 83, there were both UDT and SEAL teams in parallel, but on separate tracks. If Ventura was a SEAL, what SEAL Team was he assigned to? None, never.
When he was in the teams, both future SEALs and future UDT frogmen attended BUD/S (BASIC Underwater Demolition/SEAL Training.) After their BUD/S graduation, they split, with some going to one of the two SEAL Teams (one on each coast) and most going to UDTs, with several UDT teams on each coast. UDT men were given the USN specialty code 5321, SEALs were given 5326. They had different post-BUD/S training, tactics, equipment etc. UDT guys rode ships and supported the fleet on amphibious ops.
Even new BUD/s graduate “tadpoles” assigned to SEAL Teams were NOT SEALs until they passed additional combat training specific to SEALs, and went on to deploy with a SEAL platoon. Only after all of this did anybody become a SEAL. UDT men in 1972 were great guys, hairy chested UDT frogmen, but they were NOT SEALs. During this time, SEALs were engaging in combat in Vietnam, while Ventura was a bouncer in SoCal strip clubs on his time off, and when deployed, he didn’t go to Vietnam, instead, his UDT platoon went to places like Subic Bay in the Philippines.
Here is the best article I’ve read about the team history of Jesse “The Liar” Ventura.
I wouldn’t downplay anyone’s underwater demolition school completion. From what SEALs have told me, it’s a long one with some spooky and sometimes risky tasks. But yeah, Ventura’s disloyal and wrong. Disgusting.
Reminds me of when someone who’d been a missile specialist (formerly with a regular unit in Germany) came to my Guard unit and complained that we were “too gung ho.” Then he got with a wife of a 12B buddy (while the soldier was in a school or the field, IIRC) and told about cheating with her on a daytime TV talk show afterward. Not making this up. We were irked. Needless to say, he left the unit soon afterwards.
Which is why I said he was UDT and not a SEAL.
Did you mean to link to an article about Jesse Ventura in that post? I am interested to read it if you have the link.
Thank you for taking the time to clarify the distinction between BUDT/S and SEALs.
Jesse Ventura is a low class nutcase. Who goes to a wake and badmouths the deceased heroes, for crying out loud, and then when given the ass kicking he richly deserves sues the WIDOW of the ass kicker. If JV had one iota of goodness he would forgive and forget and that publicly. He would also apologize to the families of the men who he insulted and defamed to begin with.
Instead he sues a widow.
Mrs. AV