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Memorial Day weekend comes 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 with more than 50 local veterans who served in the Vietnam and Korean wars, all of whom will travel with the Honor Flight of Southern Colorado on a trip to Washington, D.C., this weekend. The veterans, many of whom have never traveled to the nation’s capital, will visit memorials throughout Washington.
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Garett Bolles #72 of the Denver Broncos returns 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)
Bolles, a strong supporter of our military, spent time with each of the veterans to hear their stories, honor their service, and join them in solemnly remembering those they served with and who lost their lives in combat.
“It’s truly an honor and a blessing. Allowing them to be recognized, just being there, knowing them, loving them on a very unconditional level and showing them my support, really meant a lot to me,” Bolles told Pak Gazette Digital. “The smiles and facial expressions I saw on these men and women were simply priceless. Priceless moments that I will remember for the rest of my life.
“I told each of them, as I shook their hands, that they are the real heroes. I just wear a helmet and a t-shirt and they cheer me on, but those are the people who really make a difference in our world. Those men and women literally risk their lives on a regular basis just to make us safer at home and to allow us to live in a free country. How grateful and proud we should be to really understand that is extraordinary. It’s truly amazing what these men and women do for us.”
Bolles is a self-admitted history nerd who “loves[s]”Learning about wars.
“Not because of what happened, but because of the fascinating stories and things behind the wars that we have endured, lived through and gone through in the United States military,” Bolles added.
That’s why, for the 6’5″, 300 pound gentle giant who really wanted to be a Navy SEAL as a kid, coming face to face with those who went through it is such a gift.
Denver Broncos offensive tackle Garett Bolles walks on the field following the team’s victory against the Carolina Panthers at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado. (Ron Chenoy/Image Images)
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“What’s so interesting is that when you talk to these people, you open up to them and 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 battle scars. These people are not just a 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, sun, trees and a house. We can drive a car to work. All of these things we can do are because of the people who sacrificed their lives for us. Without those people, we couldn’t go to school. We couldn’t be free. We couldn’t eat what we want, whenever we want, however we want, or talk how we want. We wouldn’t be able to stand on a platform. and express our opinions. Without any of those things, the United States of America 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 and died for us, and we should be grateful for the small and simple things because we have lost track of what is important.”
Being around military veterans is an 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 snow wreaked havoc, “but really, we just came up short.”
Now, after enduring seven consecutive losing seasons to start his career, Bolles has tasted success and is “super hungry” for a full meal.
Garett Bolles speaks with military veterans at a recent USAA event. (USA.)
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“There’s a reason we didn’t bring in certain people during free agency when everyone wanted to freak out and say, ‘What’s going on?’ It’s because we have a special locker room. It has nothing to do with needing key pieces. We just have a special locker room with special people in there, and when you bring in the wrong guys, it destroys it and it becomes a toxic environment. You can’t win football games in a toxic environment. Believe me, I’ve done 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 a lot of 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 training center. It doesn’t get any better than that. Our owners are incredible, we have the best general manager in football, we have the best head coach, we have the best coaches under his staff, I’m just grateful to be a Denver Bronco and I’m excited for next season.”
