Keni Thomas Chapel – November 8, 2023
By Ava Rogers
Veterans Day Chapel has been a tradition at Christian Unified for as long as we can remember. It is one of the special ways that our school honors all who have served in the US Armed Forces and their families, many of whom are part of the Christian Unified Family.
On November 8th, 2023, Staff Sergeant Keni Thomas came to speak to us about his place in Task Force Ranger, an elite special operations package that took place in Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1993. This operation’s mission consisted of finding and capturing the criminal warlord, Mohamed Farrah Aidid. On October 3rd, 1993, Keni and his rangers engaged in warfare for eighteen hours, which is now recounted in the prominent book and movie, Black Hawk Down.
Keni centered his message around the Rangers’ Motto: Rangers lead the way. “Leadership is the example we set for the people we serve,” Keni said, reflecting on his specific rank in the army and how it changed his perspective of what setting an example for someone actually consists of. He explained how leadership truly consists of expecting and giving our very best, and in so doing, encouraging those around us to do the same.
It was a solemn and strong reminder that we need to pour everything into others, rather than just pursuing our own success and excellence. We are only as strong as our weakest link no matter how well we do as individuals. There are very few things we go through alone, he states, and “when hard times hit us, it’s happening to the people around us too.” That is leadership: stepping up, enduring hardship, and encouraging the growth of the people around us.
It is true that many of us don’t want to do the hard thing because it’s hard. The result, though, is believing that other people should take the stage. But it is a personal responsibility – not to just be people who make noise, but rather people doing something. Each of us was encouraged to participate in making a difference for those around us and in our community.
Finally, he said that young people today are great at selling themselves short. He ties his entire message in with Isaiah 6:8, which says, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” To conclude his message, he sang his most famous song, “Not Me.” Along with this, we had beautiful performances from our Christian Junior/Senior High School Band and Choir performing patriotic songs to honor this country and our Veterans.
