The heat of summer is bearing down on Ft. Bragg and southern North Carolina.  Triple digit heat indices have been an everyday occurrence since the middle of July, with no sign of letting up. The Golden Knights Tandem Team is cooling off in the colder air 2 ½ miles above the sweltering ground.  On Tuesday, an American Hero and Country music star visited the Team.  Keni Thomas, a former Airborne Ranger turned Country Music star wanted a little cool down of his own.  Keni, along with his father John, and two music exec’s from Warner Music Nashville, found the Tandem Team training at the GK drop zone in Laruinburg, NC.

Rebekah and Chris, talent scouts, from Warner Music along with Keni’s father John suited up to tandem jump with the team.   Keni, who served with the 75^th Ranger Regiment and is a veteran of the Battle of Mogadishu is also a veteran of nearly 600 skydives.  Tandem jumping with the Golden Knight just wouldn’t have the same affect as it would for the other trio who has never jumped out of a “perfectly good airplane” from 13,500 ft.   As John, Chris and Rebekah took the skies, Keni rode along in the Twin Otter offering words of encourgement and motivation for his father.  Shortly after the jumps, the Tandem Team and Keni Thomas headed to Raeford Parachute Center where it was his turn to jump.  SSG Aaron Figel gave him a refresher class before gearing up .  After the two landed they packed up their parachutes and went right back up for another jump with the Team.  On the second jump we really wanted to make Keni feel part of the Team.  He lead the Team in the World Famous Golden Knight Diamond Formation.

It was an Honor for the Team to share the skies with a true American Hero.  Keni Thomas will be heading over seas next month for a USO tour where he will be playing and speaking to the troops about his experiences with his career, the Rangers and hopefully the Golden Knights. You can follow Keni on Twitter http://twitter.com/kenithomas

by Joe Abeln on August 10, 2011

Read the original story and see more photos and video at http://armygk.com/2011/08/country-music-star-keni-thomas-leads-the-golden-knights-in-free-fall/