Premiere Speakers Bureau

Keni Thomas 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. His presentations focus on leadership, teamwork, and the importance of training. From the motto of "Train as you fight. Fight as you train," Keni shows how an emphasis on training and continuous improvement plays a vital role in the survival and success in battle and in life.

Keni Thomas has lived in Columbus, GA since enlisting in the Army in 1991. After completing 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, SGT Thomas and B Company were deployed to Mogadishu, Somalia as part of a special operations package called Task Force Ranger. Their mission was to find and capture a criminal warlord named Mohammed Farrah Aideed. On the 3rd of October, Keni and his fellow rangers distinguished themselves in an 18 hour fire fight that would later be recounted in the highly successful book and movie “Blackhawk Down”. Nineteen Americans died and 78 were wounded in the worst urban combat seen by US troops since WWII.

SSG Keni Thomas stayed in the Army for 3 more 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.

When Keni got out of the Army, he went to work as a counselor for problematic youth. 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 additional to numerous speaking engagements for organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies to the Boy Scouts, Keni Thomas now works full time as a Nashville recording artist. His critcally acclaimed debut album, "Flags of our Fathers," was recorded as a tribute to our troops and their familes. It was produced by Grammy award-winner, Brent Maher, and Mark Selby. A nationally touring recording artist, Thomas and his band Cornbread have opened for such artists as Keith Urban, Wynonna, Phil Vassar, Trace Adkins and Braid Paisley. Thomas and his band Cornbread were also featured in the movie Sweet Home Alabama and his song “Not Me” was heard on country radio stations nationwide. He worked as a military advisor on the Mel Gibson movie “We Were Soldiers”. He has also been fetaured on Good Morning America, and made numerous appearances as a military analyst on CNN, PBS, NB C Dateline, Fox and the History Channel.

Keni Thomas is a graduate of the University of Florida and the recipient of the Bronze Star for Valor.