| Keni Thomas | |
|---|---|
Keni Thomas in 2006 |
|
| Background information | |
| Origin | Gainesville, Florida, USA |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupations | singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Labels | Moraine |
| Associated acts | Blackhawk Vince Gill Emmylou Harris |
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.
| Keni Thomas | |
|---|---|
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Rank | Staff Sergeant |
| Battles/wars | Battle of Mogadishu |
Contents |
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, Military Free Fall (MFF) School, Cold Weather Mountaineering School, and Medical Emergency School.
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.
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 deceased or wounded Special Operations soldiers.
Keni has performed the National Anthem for the New York Yankees several times, including game one of the 2009 World Series,[2] as well as for the San Francisco Giants on Memorial Day 2010.[3]
Thomas appeared in a 2011 episode of the FX television show Louie, portraying himself in a fictionalized version of a real U.S.O. visit to Afghanistan he took with comedian Louis C.K. in December 2008.[4][5]
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Following Ceres |
|
| Headspace and Timing |
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| No Place Like Home |
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| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Hero Fund |
|
| Flags of Our Fathers: A Soldier's Story |
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| Gunslinger |
|
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | |||
| 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 |
| 2009 | "Gunslinger" | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | "Not Me" | |
| 2008 | "Shreveport to L.A." | Glenn Sweitzer |
| 2009 | "Gunslinger" |