Keni Thomas, Bronze Star for Valor recipient, is an engaging speaker whose story captivates audiences from beginning to end. The highly successful movie "Blackhawk Down" is based on his Army company’s mission in Mogadishu, Somalia. In addition to speaking, Thomas is a national recording artist with two critically acclaimed projects.
Keni Thomas engages audiences from beginning to end with his captivating saga. Drawn from his experiences in Mogodishu, Somalia, Thomas' presentations stress the importance of leadership, teamwork and the importance of training. His message of "Train as you fight - Fight as you train" emphasizes continued improvement and training as vital steps to success in battle and in life.
Thomas enlisted in the Army in 1991. After completion of the Airborne school and the Ranger Indoctrination program, he was assigned to B Company 3rd Ranger Battalion of the 75th Ranger Regiment where he subsequently earned his Ranger Tab. In the summer of 1993, Sergeant Thomas and B Company were deployed to Mogadishu, Somalia as part of a special operations package called Task Force Ranger.
Once deployed to Somalia, Task Force Ranger's primary mission was location and capture of the criminal warlord Mohammed Farrah Aideed. On October 3, 1993, Thomas and his fellow rangers distinguished themselves in an eighteen hour fire fight that would later be recounted in the highly successful book and movie “Blackhawk Down”. Tragically, nineteen Americans died and 78 were wounded in the worst urban combat seen by US troops since WWII.
With a promotion to Staff Sergeant, Thomas stayed in the Army for three additional years as an assistant team leader for a six man ranger reconnaissance team. He earned his master parachutist rating with over 380 military free fall jumps. He completed the Special Forces Combat Diver course, became an Advanced EMT and was one of ten Americans to complete the Belgium Commando Course.
After departing the Army, Thomas served as a counselor for problematic youth. Currently, he is a national spokesperson for the Hero Fund and the Special Operations Warrior Foundation which provides college educations to the children of our special operations personnel killed in combat or training.
In addition to numerous speaking engagements for organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies to the Boy Scouts, Keni Thomas is also an award-winning Nashville recording artist. His critically acclaimed debut album, "Flags of our Fathers," served as a tribute to U.S. troops and their families. It was produced by Grammy award-winner Brent Maher and Mark Selby. Thomas' latest release, "Gunslinger", continues his musical success. The self-penned recent single, "Shreveport 2 LA", spent four months in the GAC Top 10.
Keni Thomas and his band Cornbread have opened for such artists as Keith Urban, Wynonna, Phil Vassar, Trace Adkins and Braid Paisley. Thomas and band were featured in the movie "Sweet Home Alabama", and he worked as a military advisor on the Mel Gibson movie “We Were Soldiers”. He has been featured on Good Morning America, and served as a military analyst on CNN, PBS, NBC Dateline, Fox and the History Channel.
Keni Thomas is a graduate of the University of Florida and resides outside of Nashville, Tennessee.
