Realtors' association bringing motivational speaker to Conway

Motivational speaker, former Army Ranger and Nashville music sensation Keni Thomas will be delivering a special presentation to the Mount Washington Valley community on Oct. 22, from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Kennett High School Auditorium.There is no charge.The event will follow two morning speeches to be delivered to Fryeburg Academy and Kennett High School students.Thomas is a nationally acclaimed public speaker who provokes and inspires audiences with the story of his personal involvement in the Mogadishu, Somalia conflict, which was later portrayed in both the movie and book "Blackhawk Down."His presentation to the local community is being made possible by the efforts of the White Mountain Board of Realtors and local businesses, including Cormack Construction Management.Thomas, of Columbus, Ga., enlisted in the Army in 1991. The summer of 1993 saw his company deployed to Mogadishu, Somalia under a special operations objective aimed at locating and capturing criminal warlord Mohammed Farrah Aideed. The situation degenerated into an 18-hour firefight that was later recounted in "Blackhawk Down." The conflict claimed the lives of 19 Americans while injuring 78 others and was heralded as the worst urban combat seen by U.S. troops since World War II."For his heroic service during the situation, Thomas received the Bronze Star for Valor. That extraordinary series of events triggered a new understanding of leadership, teamwork and training that Thomas now spreads throughout the country during his explosive public recounts.Thomas also maintains a highly successful career as a musician. He and his band, known as Cornbread, released a tribute album to United States troops in 2004 entitled "Flags of Our Fathers: A Soldier's Story." His recently released album "Gunslinger" saw its video single of Shreveport 2 LA debut at No. 7 on the GAC network.Some of those helping to bring Thomas to Mount Washington Valley on Oct. 22 are White Mountain Board of Realtors, Alpine Title Services, Attitash Realty, Badger Realty, Beas Caf, Coldwell Banker Wright Realty, Cormack Construction Management, Fryeburg Academy, H.C. Burdett Building Surveys, Housemaster Home Inspections, Horizon Settlement Services, Kennett High School, M&D Productions, Northway Bank, Select Real Estate, Summit Builders, The Country Picker, Varsity Beverage, Residential Mortgage Services, Total Concept Property Management, Michael Kent, Frank and Connie Welch, Leonard Builders, Village Cigar Emporium, Evelyn Whelton, Bonnie Hayes, Antonella Bliss, Karen & Terry Fox, Lobster Trap Restaurant, Priority Title Services, Adventure Suites, CTX Mortgage, Minuteman Press, RSN, Simon Bliss, The UPS Store, and Valley Vision.For more information on the event, including sponsorship opportunities for either businesses or individuals, contact the White Mountain Board of Realtors office at (603) 356-6220 or visit Web site at www.WMBOREVENTS.org.