This Thanksgiving, every step has a purpose. Every mile carries a memory. Every hero deserves to be remembered.
This Thanksgiving morning, Sheep Dog Impact Assistance (SDIA) invites our community to come together in Rogers, Arkansas, for the 2026 Turkey Trot for Heroes 5K, a meaningful Thanksgiving tradition dedicated to honoring the lives, service, and sacrifices of our nation’s fallen military personnel and first responders.
More than a race, the Turkey Trot for Heroes is an opportunity to remember those who gave their lives in service to others, support the families and communities they left behind, and carry their legacies forward.
We are honored to introduce the 2026 Fallen Hero honorees, whose names and stories will be remembered throughout this year’s event.
Remembering Their Service. Honoring Their Sacrifice.
Behind every uniform is a person. Behind every sacrifice is a family, a community, and a story that deserves to be told.
The military personnel and first responders recognized as this year’s Fallen Hero honorees made the ultimate sacrifice in service to others. Their courage, commitment, and selflessness represent the very best of those who dedicate their lives to protecting and serving our communities.
Although their lives were cut short, their impact continues through the people who loved them, served beside them, and carry their memories forward.
At Sheep Dog Impact Assistance, we believe remembrance is more than a moment of silence. It is a commitment to ensuring that the sacrifices of our nation’s heroes are never forgotten.
This Thanksgiving, we invite our community to help us honor that commitment.
Meet the 2026 Turkey Trot for Heroes Fallen Hero Honorees
We are privileged to recognize five Fallen Heroes during the 2026 Turkey Trot for Heroes.
Each honoree will have a dedicated station along the Wild Gobbler Race route, giving participants an opportunity to reflect on the life and service of a hero while challenging themselves physically.
We encourage participants, families, and supporters to take time to learn about these remarkable individuals.
Their stories remind us that freedom, safety, and service come with sacrifices that extend far beyond the individuals who wear the uniform.
We remember their service. We honor their sacrifice. We carry their legacy forward.
The Wild Gobbler Race: A Challenge with a Purpose
For participants seeking an additional physical challenge, the Turkey Trot for Heroes offers the Wild Gobbler Race, a unique experience combining a traditional 5K with CrossFit-style workout stations along the route.
Each workout station is dedicated to one of our Fallen Hero honorees.
As participants move through the course, these challenges offer opportunities to reflect on the courage, resilience, and dedication of those being remembered.
The Wild Gobbler Race represents an important part of SDIA’s mission: encouraging military personnel, veterans, first responders, and their supporters to Get Off The Couch™, challenge themselves, and strengthen their connections with others.
Whether you participate in the traditional 5K or take on the Wild Gobbler challenge, your presence helps ensure that these heroes’ stories continue to be shared.
A Thanksgiving Tradition Built on Gratitude, Community, and Service
Thanksgiving is a time to gather with loved ones, reflect on our blessings, and express gratitude.
The Turkey Trot for Heroes provides an opportunity to begin the holiday by recognizing the sacrifices that make so many of those blessings possible.
For some participants, the race is a family tradition. For others, it is an opportunity to honor a loved one, support a fellow Sheep Dog, or simply give back to those who have served.
Whatever brings you to the starting line, you become part of a community united by gratitude, remembrance, and purpose.
And while we gather to remember those we have lost, we also come together to support those who continue to serve and those navigating life after service.
Every Step Honors a Hero. Every Dollar Supports Our Mission.
Proceeds from the Turkey Trot for Heroes support the mission of Sheep Dog Impact Assistance, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to engaging, assisting, and empowering our nation’s military personnel, veterans, and first responders.
Through our mission and the Get Off The Couch™ initiative, SDIA creates opportunities for connection, personal growth, renewed purpose, and continued service.
Our three primary programs include:
Warrior PATHH: A transformative, nonclinical, peer-to-peer training program designed to help military personnel, veterans, and first responders turn struggle into strength through Posttraumatic Growth.
Outdoor Adventures: Experiences that encourage participants to reconnect with themselves and others through physical challenges, camaraderie, and shared adventures.
Disaster Response Missions: Opportunities for Sheep Dogs to continue serving by assisting communities affected by natural disasters and other emergencies.
These programs provide meaningful opportunities for continued engagement, helping participants build connections and discover new possibilities beyond their initial experiences with SDIA.
When you participate in the Turkey Trot for Heroes, you help make this work possible.
Join Us Thanksgiving Morning!
2026 Turkey Trot for Heroes 5K & Wild Gobbler Race
📅 Thursday, November 26, 2026
📍 Rogers, Arkansas
🏃 Traditional 5K and Wild Gobbler Race options
🇺🇸 Honoring our Fallen Military and First Responder Heroes
Whether you run, walk, participate as a family, or challenge yourself on the Wild Gobbler course, we invite you to begin Thanksgiving with purpose.
Register today and help us honor the heroes who gave everything in service to others.
REGISTER FOR THE 2026 TURKEY TROT FOR HEROES
For registration assistance or large group registration, contact Info@sheepdogia.org.
Their Sacrifice Will Never Be Forgotten
As we gather this Thanksgiving, we remember that the freedoms we enjoy and the communities we call home have been shaped by the courage and sacrifice of extraordinary individuals.
The 2026 Fallen Hero honorees represent lives of service, families forever changed, and legacies that deserve to endure.
We cannot repay their sacrifice, but we can remember their names, share their stories, and continue honoring the values they lived by.
This Thanksgiving morning, we will do just that.
One community. One mission. Five heroes to honor.
Remembering Their Service. Honoring Their Sacrifice.
Get Off The Couch™. Run with Purpose. Remember Our Heroes.