Stolen Valor Phony Navy SEAL of the Week. Was Jesse the Body Ventura a Navy SEAL. Yes... Yes He Was Amid the internet’s weekly takedowns of fake “Navy SEALs” and stolen valor frauds, one lightning-rod name keeps resurfacing: Jesse “The Body” Ventura. Wrestler, movie star, ex-governor, conspiracy magnet—was he actually a SEAL, or just another loud phony? Digging into his Vietnam-era Navy records, the tangled history of Underwater Demolition Teams, and what real SEAL watchdogs say about him reveal