Keni Thomas is an American country music singer and former United States Army Ranger who served in The Battle of Mogadishu, portrayed in the 2001 film Black Hawk Down. He serves as a motivational speaker in addition to his service in the military,recording an independently-released album and charting two singles on the Billboard country music charts.
Military career
Thomas enlisted in the Army in 1991. Prior to joining the Army he graduated from the University of Florida.[1] He served as a Ranger in the 75th Ranger Regiment, eventually attaining the rank of Staff Sergeant. Thomas was a member of Task Force Ranger as a part of Operation Restore Hope in Somalia. A main objective of the Task Force was to capture the elusive Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. The most well known of their combat missions occurred October 3, 1993, when Thomas and fellow Task Force members were involved in the Battle of Mogadishu that was later immortalized in the book and movie Black Hawk Down, for which he was a consultant. He also served as a consultant for We Were Soldiers. After Somalia, Thomas went on to serve as an assistant team leader on Ranger recon teams. His military decorations and achievements include the Bronze Star for Valor with the "V" device and the Combat Infantryman Badge. Thomas was awarded Master Parachute wings with over 400 jumps,the British and Belgian parachute wings and successfully completed the Army's Ranger School, Belgian Commando School, the Special Forces Combat Diver's School, the Army's Jumpmaster Course, Pathfinder School, HALO (High Altitude Low Opening) School, Cold Weather Mountaineering School, and Medical Emergency School.
Youth counselor and speaker
Upon leaving active duty service, Thomas worked as a youth counselor. He also became a speaker, giving presentations to various audiences across the United States.
Musical career
Thomas soon formed the band Cornbread and began his career in music by performing with the band in and around Columbus, Georgia. After several album releases, Thomas and Cornbread released the album Flags of Our Fathers, with the artist listed as Keni Thomas. Thomas donates some of the proceeds to the Hero Fund, which directs those funds to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, an organization created to provide college scholarships and financial aid to the children of fallen Special Operations soldiers.
Keni has performed the National Anthem for the New York Yankees several times, including game 1 of the 2009 World Series[2], as well as for the San Francisco Giants on Memorial Day 2010.
As Keni ThomasYear Album 2003 Hero Fund 2004 Flags of Our Fathers: A Soldier's Story 2008 Gunslinger
As CornbreadYear Album 1996 Following Ceres 1998 Headspace and Timing 2000 No Place Like Home
SinglesYear Single US Country Album 2005 "Not Me" (with Vince Gill and Emmylou Harris) 47 Flags of Our Fathers: A Soldier's Story "Gloryland" (with Blackhawk) 56 2008 "Shreveport to L.A." — Gunslinger
Music videosYear Video Director 2005 "Not Me" 2008 "Shreveport to L.A." Glenn Sweitzer
