Selfless: {adjective} concerned more with the needs and wishes of others than with one's own.

If I could define our servicemen and women in one word, it would be selfless. They make daily sacrifices for the overall benefit of our country, our freedom and our future. And they do so without even thinking twice. We just wrapped up a 10-day tour with ProTour Productions and Armed Forces Entertainment, with whom we visited military bases in Curacao, the Bahamas and Cuba. During this trip, we toured the bases, learned about their day-to-day tasks and spent time with their families. 

One of my most cherished memories from the 2018 Caribbean Tour was working with the children at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. We often speak only about the lifestyle changes that may be imposed upon our servicemen and women. But what happens to their family members? Guantanamo Bay had quite a few children living on-base — which made for a great cheer clinic! We hosted our cheer clinic the day before the Super Bowl so they could all show off their new moves during the big game. Little did we know these kiddos were already pros. They had their own cheer squad on-base! We taught them a dance routine, and then they taught us their cheers! Working with these kids one-on-one and giving them a day filled with laughter and smiles is something that I will cherish forever. 

Many people asked me what we did while we visited our troops. Well, we shook a lot of hands, we told our troops how much we appreciate them and we tried to bring a little piece of home to wherever they might currently be living. No matter where you are from, where you are living or for whom you choose to cheer (go, Broncos!), football has the power to bring people together. There was something so special about being with our true heroes — our military — during the biggest game of the season. Everyone smiled a little bit bigger and brighter, as they were reminded of home. 

The memories from our 2018 Caribbean Tour are ones that I will hold on to forever. Thank you to ProTour Productions, Armed Forces Entertainment and the Denver Broncos Cheerleaders for giving me the opportunity to visit our servicemen and women. But more importantly, thank you to our troops for your genuine selflessness.

- DBC Gioia