Warriors and Rodeo is proud to announce our partnership with the
Professional Armed Forces Rodeo Association.
(this page was from our 2021 partnership with PAFRA. Check out the info below as well as more about our protection team – click here. )
W.A.R. has selected three bullfighters that will represent our organization at the P.A.F.R.A Championship Event in October at the Stormont Event Center in Topeka, KS. October 7-9, 2021. Look for the WAR suicide prevention booth in the arena!
They will be working hand in hand with the President of PAFRA and event Barrel Man – James Hastings, US Army Veteran. Hastings is a long-standing member of WAR, a volunteer of WAR, as well as an advisor from the beginning of our organization.
This arena is going to be loaded with incredible military service, talent, and heart!
THANK YOU PAFRA FOR THIS GREAT OPPORTUNITY! To find out more about PAFRA, go to https://www.facebook.com/LetsRodeoPAFRA and http://www.rodeopafra.com/
Consider donating today! 100% of your donation will go to this team for their expenses for this event, any gear they need for it, food, lodging, travel, etc. Your donation is tax deductable.
MEET OUR TEAM
Reynaldo Valenzuela
Reynaldo Valenzuela was born in Roswell, NM, and raised by his grandparents. He graduated in 2001 and joined the military in November of that year. He was sent to basic training at Ft. Benning, GA. After graduating from infantry school, he was stationed at Ft. Hood, TX in the BCO 1/9 CAV. His unit was deployed in Nov. of 2003 to Kaldia, Iraq where he was attached to the Big Red One. During his time in Iraq, he was also attached to the 82nd Airborne Division and the 2nd Marines. In 2005, he was honorably discharged from the military. He began to rodeo and ride bulls. In 2008 he was recalled into the 28th ID. He deployed with the HHC 2/12th Recon Unit. He was then discharged in 2009 as a Sergeant. Valenzuela continued to rodeo and ride bulls and in 2014 transitioned to bullfighting which, “fell in love with it”. In 2015, the VA diagnosed him with multiple conditions including PTSD, depression, anxiety, and emphysema. Valenzuela states that bullfighting is a huge help in dealing with all the after-effects of combat. He states it is “a huge release for me. I wish I would have started a long time ago!” Valenzia has been a part of our organization for many years and we are proud to have him a part of our team.
Thank you JB Pipe LLC for your donation! We appreciate your generosity to those who serve our great country. https://www.facebook.com/JBPipeLLC https://jbpipe.net/
Ross Miller
Ross Miller was born in O’Neill Nebraska. He Graduated in 2011 from Chambers NE and joined the military in 2013. He was sent to basic training at Fort Benning GA. After he attended AOC in Fort Jackson, Airborne School In Fort Benning, then AIT in Fort Lee VA. He was an aerial delivery specialist for four years. In 2016, he reclassed to a Medic and went to school in Camp Shelby MS. He was honorably discharged in 2019. He rode saddle broncs from 2012-2016. He attended the 2014 PAFRA Finals in Midland Texas where he was the rookie of the year. He was the Rocky Mountain Circuit Champion bronc rider in 2015. He started fighting bulls in 2017 and immediately knew that is what he should be doing.
Thank you Full Bore for donating jerseys for our military bullfighting team! We appreciate you partnering with Warriors and Rodeo to honor those who serve. http://livefullbore.com/ https://www.facebook.com/livefullbore
Colt Steggell
Colt Steggell was born in Bountiful, Utah. He lived on a cattle ranch in Duchesne, Utah for a long part of his childhood. He was raised riding sheep, steers and bulls. Also grew up hunting, fishing, and pushing cattle across the Wasatch and Uintah mountain ranges. Colt started bullfighting in 2017, “when my buddy and I went traveling for a rodeo and he got killed because the bullfighters didn’t do their job. So I started to do what I could to make sure that never happened again.” Colt played division one football for the University of Utah for a year before he joined the Army in 2017. He went through SWC for over a year at Fort Bragg, before being sent to JBER in Alaska. Colt is Airborne Infantry and has jumped in the Arctic Circle at -90 degrees Fahrenheit, survived and trained up there for two weeks with temperatures around -60 during the day. He’s done that jump and training twice every year since 2019. Colt is currently serving in JBER Alaska with D-CO, 3-509 IN (AIRBORNE).
James Hasting
James Hastings hails from the town of Mountain View, Arkansas but has called Alaska home since 1997. In 1985 he joined the Army while still in high school to travel world, met amazing people, see exotic places and serve our country. During his 21 years he served as an Airborne Infantryman, Combat Engineer, Air Force Ground Liaison Officer, and wrapped up his career as a Recruiter. James has been a member of WAR since 2015 and a member of PAFRA since 2014 and has served as the circuit Director for Alaska, Sgt at Arms, Vice President and is currently the President of PAFRA as well currently serving as our Marshal for Warriors And Rodeo. James has been a stock contractor, Producer, Announcer, Bullfighter, Funny Man and Arena Director over the past 10 years and is proud to represent Warriors and Rodeo and the 20th anniversary Professional Armed Forces Rodeo Association World Championship Rodeo.
Note from the President:
I am so excited about this great project for our organization. WAR has partnered with PAFRA numerous times in the past and with great success. Their event is a unique opportunity for military, active and veteran, and their families, to come together to not only compete at rodeo but also to be there for their brothers and sister in arms. In WAR’s extensive experience and 100% success rate with suicide prevention, we have found events where our members can get together is critical for mental and physical well being. It’s the bonds made at events that then translate into the late night calls when someone may be in a very dark place and only wants to talk to someone they know, that isn’t in their regular circles, and who can understand because they have served also. Not only do events like this help with suicide prevention, but by attending we are looking PTSD, loneliness, depression square in the cross hairs and finding ourselves overcomers if only for a weekend but sometimes the battle is won while in the protective environment of those who understand and will always have their six. I’ve seen it more times than I can count. It works.
This event is exciting for us, not only for the reasons above, but also for the fact that one of our mottos is “we protect those who protect us”. Our team of military bullfighters and barrel man bring their heart to have each other six on the battle field straight into the arena where they will be doing cowboy protection for those who have put their life on the line for this great country. We’ve chosen these men specifically for this event and we have no doubt they will represent their military branch, this organization, and their country with integrity, grit, and selfless protection for the cowboys on those bulls.
With great excitement, humbleness, and appreciation,
Sheri Smith, President of Warriors and Rodeo, Navy Veteran