Keni Thomas - Get It On!: What It Means to Lead the Way

PRAISE FOR GET IT ON!

If you are a veteran, you need to read this book. Keni Thomas has worn the boots. He is a patriot. He is one of us. His story is gripping. His faith is inspiring. Keni shows us that the principles of leadership we learned when we wore the uniform still apply to us all out here in the real world. It is through the example we set, and by the grace of God that we can still make a difference and continue to live purposeful and meaningful lives.

LtCol Oliver L. North, USMC (Retired)

Based on his combat experiences with Task Force Ranger, Get It On! is a how-to manual that applies the psychology of his elite special operations training to the challenges of every day life in the real world. Keni believes that with Gods grace, we all have the power to effectively make a difference. I have witnessed his words in action as he leads the way by his personal example, supporting the children of his fallen comrades through The Special Operations Warrior Foundation.

General Peter J. Schoomaker, 35th Chief of Staff of the Army

Keni Thomas is the real deal. His experiences at the heart of the Battle of Mogadishu taught him about a lot more than the tactics and methods of an elite soldier. Here he has created an engaging and inspiring tutorial, applying those lessons to the battles of everyday life, which are rarely as intense, but usually last a lot longer than a firefight.

Mark Bowden, author of Black Hawk Down

Kenis selfless efforts to give back to our men and women in uniform are a testament to his message of setting an example for others to follow. The leadership principles Keni shares through his story Get It On! are directly aligned with the core values of our organization. To Lead is to Serve. The USO is proud to call Keni Thomas one of our own.

Sloan Gibson, President of the USO

Over the course of the last six years, Keni and I have proudly joined forces in support of the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. He is a tireless crusader, who walks the path he preaches. Get It On! is a moving account of courage and faith under fire. True leadership is about the example we set. Keni has an impressive way of convincing you that this is a principle we should all live by

Hal Steinbrenner, owner of the New York Yankees

Keni Thomas is a captivating speaker and an inspiring story teller who has now given us a book just as engaging. Get It On! uses his personal story of survival on the battlefield to show us how we all matter and we can indeed make an impact on the world around us.

David Horowitz, political activist and founder of the Freedom Center

Copyright 2011 by Keni Thomas

All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

978-1-4336-7274-3

Published by B&H Publishing Group

Nashville, Tennessee

Published in association with the literary agency of Fedd & Company, Inc., 9759 Concord Pass, Brentwood, TN 37027

Dewey Decimal Classification: 303.3

Subject Heading: LEADERSHIP \ THOMAS, KENI \ CHRISTIAN LIFE

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version, copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society.

Also used: The New Living Translation (NLT), copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Also used: The New American Standard Bible (NASB), the Lockman Foundation, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977; used by permission.

Also used: the Amplified Bible (Amplified), Copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation

Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Also used: New King James Version (NKJV), copyright 1979, 1980, 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers.

Also used: The Amplified Bible, Old Testament copyright 1962, 1964 by Zondervan Publishing House, used by permission, and the New Testament The Lockman Foundation 1954, 1958, 1987, used by permission.

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Thank you God for using me and for sending me, to do what I love. I am so very grateful you have stuck with me. And to the men of Task Force Ranger, who fought to bring each other home. Thank you for giving me the chance to live the dream. I am forever indebted to you.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

EVER SINCE I WAS A kid Ive been rehearsing my acceptance speech at the Grammys.

Now I know why the producers have to start playing that stupid music to cut you off. If you thanked everyone that had a hand in your success, youd be there all night.

So you thank the ones you love like your family, Cris, Claire, and Duane Ward. You thank the ones who believed in the beginning like Gary and Esther. You thank the crew and the cast over at LifeWay/B&H Publishing Group like Julie Gwinn, John Thompson, Jeff Godby, and the countless others who lent their talents to this project. You give special thanks to that unique individual who guided you through the process of creation and kept you motivated when you would rather have quit. That someone would be AJ. And finally you thank God for bringing all these folks into your life and placing them on your left and on your right.

And as you walk off the stage with award in hand, you wave to the crowd and you thank the fans!

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

MAN THIS WAS GETTING CRAZY. Todd Blackburn just fell out of the helicopter during insertion and somebody got shot while trying to help him. But none of us knew for sure because Chalk 4 wasnt where they were supposed to be. They roped-in a block too soon.

It was getting chaotic. People were shooting at us. Somalis were showing up everywhere, running back and forth across the streets like those little moving targets at the shooting arcade in Frontierland at Disney. Should we fire at them? Some had weapons. Some did not. It was hard to tell. But somebody had to be shooting at us from the corners of those buildings because a lot of Rangers were firing back in all directions, and rules of engagement say we dont fire unless theres someone firing at us.

Even the helicopters overhead were engaged. The bone-rattling roar of their mini-guns sounded like slow-motion lightning ripping the sky apart. Theres a terrible sense of urgency forced through your nerves when those fully automatic Gatling guns let loose at a total annihilation rate of 10,000 rounds per minute.

Who are they firing at? Are there really that many bad guys out there? Man, whats happening? Thirty minutes ago I was in shorts and flip-flops writing a letter home to my mom. I think they call this being in combat. What was that? I think I just got hit. So this is what it feels like.

I was kneeling against the wall of the target building, which is exactly where they tell you NOT to kneel because bullets follow walls. How would someone know this? Who tested that theory? Must have been someone just like me who leaned against a wall and then got hit by a wall-following bullet. But its an instinctive thing to run for cover. So when there really isnt any cover out in a street, you run for a wall. You lean against it because it just feels more secure, right up until some Somali from two hundred yards down the road fires a burst from his AK-47 in your general direction and the trajectory path of those rounds begin hurtling toward you at 715 meters per sec. Good news is, the person who pulled the trigger was not very disciplined, so the bullets are off target and are going to miss their mark, me, and instead slam into the wall about five feet in front of me. Bad news is, the rounds continue their forward velocity, skipping off the wall and impacting center mass at original said target: me. Lucky shot.