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Memorial Day weekend hits close to home for Garett Bolles.
The Denver Broncos offensive lineman has military roots as his grandfather fought in the Korean War. But this holiday weekend will be the first without his grandfather, who died earlier this year.
But earlier this month, Bolles partnered with USAA in Colorado Springs for an event featuring over 50 local veterans who served in the Vietnam and Korean wars, all of whom will be traveling with the Honor Flight of Southern Colorado on a trip to Washington, DC, this weekend. The vets, many of whom have never made the trip to the nation’s capital, will all visit monuments throughout Washington.
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Garett Bolles #72 of the Denver Broncos drops back to block during the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado on January 25, 2026. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
A strong advocate for our military, Bolles spent time with each of the veterans to hear their stories, honor their service and join them in solemn remembrance of those they served with and who lost their lives in combat.
“It’s truly an honor and a blessing. To have them recognized — just being there, getting to know them, loving them on a very unconditional level and showing them my support — has really meant the world to me,” Bolles told Pakinomist Digital. “The smiles and expressions I saw on these men and women were just priceless. Priceless moments that I will remember for the rest of my life.
“I told each and every one of them as I shook their hand that they are the real heroes. I just wear a helmet and a jersey and they cheer me on, but these are the people who really make a difference in our world. These men and women literally risk their lives on a regular basis just to make us safer at home and allow us to live in a free country. How to understand that is truly grateful and proud. what these men and women do for us.”
Bolles is a self-confessed history geek who “loves[s]“learning about wars.
“Not because of what took place, but because of the stories and the fascinating things behind the wars that we’ve endured, been through and gone through in the U.S. military,” Bolles added.
That’s why, for the 6’5″, 300-pound gentle giant who actually wanted to be a Navy SEAL when he grew up, coming face to face with those who went through it is the ultimate gift.
Denver Broncos offensive tackle Garett Bolles takes the field after the team’s win against the Carolina Panthers at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado. (Ron Chenoy/Imagn Images)
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“What’s so neat is when you get to talk to these people and you get them to open up and you ask them about their families, you ask them about their better half, their wife, these people are real,” an emotional Bolles recalled. “These are real people with real stories, real backgrounds and real struggles. These people are not just some Joe Schmo. Many of them come from broken families. Many come from single parents. Many grew up in foster care…
“These people are part of our history. These people are part of who we are and how we can wake up every day and see blue skies and sun and trees and a house. We get to drive to work. All these things we get to do are because of the people who sacrificed their lives for us. Without these people, we wouldn’t be able to go to school. We wouldn’t be able to have what we wanted, when we wanted, we couldn’t eat when we wanted have it.” how we want or speak how we want We would not be able to stand on a platform and express our opinions. Without any of these things, the United States would be nothing.
“There are so many toxic things in this world right now that we really need to understand the importance of Memorial Day. We live in a country where people bled for us and died for us and we need to be thankful for the small and simple things because we’ve lost sight of what’s important.”
Joining military veterans is easy motivation for Bolles, who was named First-team All-Pro for the first time in his nine-year career last season. His Broncos came up short in the AFC title game after Bo Nix was injured the week before and the snow wreaked havoc, “but really we just came up short.”
Now, after enduring seven straight losing seasons to start his career, Bolles has gotten a taste of success and is “super hungry” for the full meal.
Garett Bolles speaks with military veterans at a recent USAA event. (USAA)
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“There’s a reason we didn’t bring certain people in during free agency when every single person would freak out and say, ‘What’s going on?’ That’s because we have a special changing room. It has nothing to do with needing key fobs. We just have a special dressing room with special people in there and when you bring the wrong guys in it ruins it and becomes a toxic environment. You can’t win football games in a toxic environment. Trust me — I’ve been doing that for seven years,” Bolles said.
“The Denver Broncos are full of winners. They’re full of dogs. We have a culture that’s really hard to beat. There are so many other teams around the country that want to see what we do and how we do it — how we train, how we take care of our bodies. We’re building a brand new facility with a world-renowned gym. You can’t be the best, we can’t own football, we have the best head coach, we have the best coaches under his staff I’m just thankful to be a Denver Bronco and I’m excited for the upcoming season.
