SUNRISE, Fla. – On Saturday night at PBR Teams in Sunrise, the spotlight shifted from bucking chutes to battlefield courage as the Be Cowboy Award, presented by Horse Soldier Bourbon, honored a man who has worn both combat boots and, in spirit, cowboy boots — living out the values of courage, integrity, selflessness and grit every step of the way.
This week’s honoree was Capt. John M. Hoffstetter, a retired and decorated member of the U.S. Army Special Forces whose career has taken him from combat zones around the globe to the skies over Normandy in honor of World War II heroes.
The award was presented by Rob Schaefer, a Horse Soldier Bourbon ambassador, retired U.S. Army Special Forces officer and one of the primary planners of America’s first mission against al-Qaeda following 9/11. Schaefer, named “Operator of the Year” across all U.S. Special Operations Forces and the CIA, stood alongside Hoffstetter to honor a fellow Green Beret whose dedication still rides strong.
Hoffstetter’s military journey began in 1984 when he enlisted as a combat engineer. Over the next 22 years, he rose through the ranks to become a Special Forces medical sergeant, commissioned officer and physician assistant. His assignments spanned elite airborne and special operations units, with deployments to Iraq, Bosnia, Turkey and Honduras.
His decorations include two Bronze Star Medals, an Air Medal, the Combat Medic Badge and the prestigious Order of Saint Maurice, awarded for his significant contributions to the U.S. Army Infantry community. Beyond his U.S. qualifications, Hoffstetter earned foreign parachutist badges from Germany, Israel, Portugal and Honduras, and is both a master parachutist and military free fall qualified.
After retiring from the Army in 2006, Hoffstetter traded his combat boots for service in another arena — as a certified physician assistant, currently specializing in dermatology at Dermatology Consultants of South Florida. His leadership extends beyond medicine — he serves on the board of directors for the Round Canopy Parachuting Team–USA (RCPT-USA), an organization dedicated to honoring Allied paratroopers past, present and future.
Since joining RCPT-USA in 2015, Hoffstetter has trained and led hundreds of jumpers at commemorative airborne events in the U.S. and abroad. In 2024, he served as jumpmaster for two historic cross-channel parachute operations from England into Normandy aboard World War II C-47 aircraft — a living tribute to the paratroopers of D-Day.
For Hoffstetter, these jumps are more than ceremonial. They are a way to keep history alive, to educate the public and to ensure the stories of courage from generations past are never forgotten. Whether leading soldiers, treating patients or honoring airborne history, he carries the same grit you would expect from someone who has lived the cowboy code in and out of uniform.
As the crowd in Sunrise rose to their feet, they were not just applauding Capt. John Hoffstetter’s service record. They were honoring the decades he has spent leading, healing and carrying forward the legacy of those who served before him. Like the Horse Soldiers who rode into danger when their country needed them most, Hoffstetter keeps showing up, ready to serve.
From all of us at PBR and Horse Soldier Bourbon, thank you, Capt. John Hoffstetter, for reminding us what it truly means to Be Cowboy.
Stay tuned after each PBR Camping World Team Series stop as we continue to spotlight the local heroes and changemakers who inspire us.
Photo courtesy of Bull Stock Media