Liberty Risk Ep. 34 • BJ Welsh • The Evolution of a Warrior: Service, Fatherhood & Staying Dangerous ⚔️🏴☠️
This week on Liberty Risk, we sit down with former SEAL BJ Welsh as he shares some WILD stories from 34 years of service - from operating with West Coast Teams to working narcotics cases for the DOJ, these are some adventures you won't want to miss! Chrome handguns, bar fights, meth chases, and the brotherhood that ties it all together… this one has everything.
BJ tells the real story behind the legendary El Centro Incident - SEAL Platoons, a "borrowed" pistol, a pissed off local, a tussle through saloon doors, off-duty officers who forgot they were on duty, and half of Imperial County law enforcement piling in the next day. It's a modern Western with more drama than Blazing Saddles and a legend that's only grown over 20 years.
From there, the stories only get more unhinged:
- The DUI that somehow made the admiral nostalgic
- The Ambien-and-airplane miscalculation that nearly ended in disaster
- Being "secured" to a Thailand hotel for going a little too hard on liberty 🍺
- An ex fiancée who "did" more platoons than BJ and Kevin combined
- The gun incident that ended with a girlfriend arrested in BJ's house 🔫
- BUD/S Instructor life and Team One's well deserved "No Fun One" reputation
- The old "surf & turf" uniforms that looked like you were "Porky Piggin' it" (shirt with no pants) 😂
- The meth chase up the 5 freeway with water-soaked narcotics flying out the window
Between the insanity, we also get to the real heart of BJ's story - a guy who served America for 34 years across multiple units, raised his kids, lost his father, built a second career in DOJ, and is now trying to age gracefully while still challenging himself and being dangerous when needed.
The boys dive into:
- The evolution of masculinity (why being aggressive 24/7 isn't maturity)
- Why warriors suddenly cry at Moana and the unique perspective of being a "girl dad"
- Learning to decompress after decades of hyper-vigilance
- Finding something that sharpens your edge after service ⚔️
- Domestic battles like dishwasher politics and the eternal toilet paper war
- Why how a person handles dog shit tells you everything you need to know about them 💩
BJ's honesty is unmatched. One minute he's sharing wild deployment stories, the next he's talking about breaking generational cycles or watching Golden Bachelor with his wife.
This is a three-hour masterclass in military humor, life after the Teams, total honesty, and the kind of brotherhood that goes beyond uniforms.
If you've ever wanted the actual story behind the El Centro incident, wondered what happens when SEALs discover a plane serves alcohol, or needed reassurance that crying during Disney movies is normal… this is your episode.
Listen now - and if you see a taco'd license plate outside a bar in El Centro, just keep driving. Trust us on this one.
Find out more about BJ and his adventures at the following links:
✖️ Personal Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/bj_welsh
Liberty Risk Hosts:
✖️ Ryan Williams - https://www.instagram.com/invictus5326
✖️ Kevin Kent - https://www.instagram.com/therealkevinkent
✖️ Nick Betts - https://www.instagram.com/n_betts
Liberty Risk Podcast Sponsored by:
✖️ Liberty Risk Merch - https://www.liberty-risk.com/collections/shop-all
✖️ Industry Threadworks - https://www.industrythreadworks.com
✖️ Archive 3PL - https://archive3pl.com
✖️ Krupto Strategic Media - https://kruptostrategicmedia.com
✖️ K-Squared Advising - https://www.k-squared.cc