Keni Thomas   -  Biography

A former Army Ranger and member of the elite Task Force Ranger assault unit, Keni Thomas fought in the Somalia battle recounted in the book and motion picture Black Hawk Down. He was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor and the combat infantryman's badge. He spent four more years in the Army as an assistant team leader for the 75th Ranger Regimental Reconnaissance Detachment. He got out of the Army to work as a counselor in an outdoor therapeutic program for troubled youth. He is also a national spokesman for the Hero Fun and the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which provides college educations to the children of special ops personnel killed in combat or training. Thomas and his band Cornbread -- named after the precooked military food that no one but Thomas enjoyed -- are based in Columbus, Ga. They sold more than 10,000 copies of their independent releases by constantly touring the Southeast. Teaming with Brent Maher and Mark Selby, Thomas released the album Flags of Our Fathers -- A Soldier's Story in 2005 on Moraine Records. Guest artists include Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, Michael McDonald, Kenny Rogers, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, BlackHawk and Shawn Mullins. He is regularly booked as a keynote speaker for corporations and organizations around the U.S., sharing his motivational message of teamwork and leadership. He was also hired as an off-screen military advisor and an on-screen squad leader for Mel Gibson's We Were Soldiers. Thomas and Cornbread also appeared in the film Sweet Home Alabama. Thomas issued the album, Gunslinger, in 2008.