The Killeen Dail Herald

Keni Thomas visits Fort Hood on book tour 
Posted On: Tuesday, Oct. 18 2011 09:41 PM 
Colleen Flaherty

Fort Hood Herald

Keni Thomas' new book, "Get It On," isn't another retelling of the "Black Hawk Down" incident, the former Army Ranger and country music singer said Friday at the Main Exchange.

"It's about the people I was with," said the veteran of the now-infamous 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, Somalia, in which 19 soldiers died. "You'll see that. It's very conversational… . Then I'll stop and talk about how it might relate to us in the real world."

Quite simply, he continued, "It's one more way to reach people."

Since leaving the Army in 1997, Thomas has shared through music and motivational speaking his consistent message of leading by example. He said he decided to write a book after being asked repeatedly by friends and acquaintances to record his thoughts and memories.

Part autobiography and part treatise on leadership and spirituality, "Get It On," (B&H Books, October 2011) recounts the extraordinary courage of Thomas' counterparts in Mogadishu, inflected with quotes from military thinkers and the Bible.

It takes its name from the three words that catapulted Thomas, of Gainesville, Fla., and his fellow Rangers into battle – and U.S. history.

"I was writing a letter home to my mom when the call rang out across the American compound. 'Get it on!'" he writes in the book's opening paragraph. "And just like that, the course of my life was changed forever."

"Get It On" already has attracted praise from critics and well-known figures.

Retired Lt. Col. Oliver North, whom Thomas said encouraged him to write the book, writes, "If you are a veteran, you need to read this book," on its first page. "(Thomas) shows us that the principles of leadership we learned when we were in uniform still apply to us out here in the real world."

Mark Bowden, author of "Black Hawk Down," which inspired the 2001 movie of the same name, calls Thomas "the real deal."

Fort Hood area fans said the same during Friday's book signing.

Carolyn Harder, 40, said she'd been a fan of Thomas' "heartfelt" music for years.

"I've met him before, and he's really nice to everyone, and very genuine," she said. "(And) the message he's trying to send to people is very important, because a lot of people don't have the best of values."

Thomas' music inspires audiences "to be honest with themselves," said Harder, whose husband, Sgt. 1st Class Robert Harder, is deployed to Iraq with 3rd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division.

Sgt. 1st Class Reuben Barton, of 1st Armored Division Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion of Fort Bliss in El Paso, attended the book signing while visiting family at Fort Hood.

Thomas' music is all about "honor, loyalty… It's very patriotic," Barton said.

Thomas visited Fort Hood as one of the first stops on his book tour. He just wrapped up an Armed Forces Entertainment tour of the Middle East, visiting and singing for troops – including those from Fort Hood's 1st Cavalry Division – in Afghanistan.

"I didn't have to have a band or cheerleaders or even a guitar, sometimes," Thomas said of the tour, which included trips to remote outposts. "You just have to be yourself (to be appreciated)."

Music is still Thomas' medium of choice, he said, but the opportunity to reach more people – particularly members of the military and their families – through writing is one he's looking forward to.

"Any time you're digging into yourself and the Bible, it's a good thing," he said.

Contact Colleen Flaherty at colleenf@kdhnews.com <mailto:colleenf@kdhnews.com>  or (254) 501-7559.