A TRIBUTE TO DAVID TIRADO

David Tirado was a computer technician. He did not work in either of the WTC towers. However he was in WTC 1 on the morning of September 11th, 2001. The company he worked for (Rent A PC) had been paid to deliver and install a computer into that building on that day. David was the technician at his company assigned to deliver and install it. David was 26 and engaged to be married in two short months to his long time girl friend Danielle Ferraiola. I was able to get in contact with a few of David's closest friends and asked for their thoughts for this tribute. Friend Steve Barton contributed the above photo. In it are (l-r) August Lambrose, Steve and David partying before a Pearl jam concert (one of David's favorite bands). Wanting to stick with The Nut's long standing Ten Things theme I asked Dave's best friend Steve to give us a rundown on who Dave was... Dave's Ten Favorite Passtimes: Baseball, Softball, Videogames, Music, Movies, Watching wrestling, Tricking out his car, Working on computers, Animals, and of course Chicks! Dave's Ten Favorite Bands: Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Tool, A Perfect Circle, The Doors, local H, Five Cent Hero, Soundgarden, and Stone Temple Pilots Ten Words That Best Describe David: Honest, Genuine, Funny, Conceited, Sore-Loser, Sweet, Loving, Loyal, Weird, and Silly Dave's friends contributed these memories of their friend... "He would act like a complete clown to make people smile and even though he wasn't trying to make people smile he was very accident prone which made everyone laugh.." -Richard Tirado (Dave's brother) "He used to scream real loud in Spanish - well I think it was Spanish, at me. That was hilarious, and always caused me to laugh." -Rob Barton (Dave's close friend) "The thing that I remember most about David was his smile. It was a peaceful and happy smile that invited you to laugh along with him. He was a kind person. I can never remember him doing a mean thing to anyone else. On the contrary, he was often a peacemaker." -Doug Blancero (Dave's teacher/counselor) I asked Dave's friends if they had one thing they could tell Dave today what would it be... "There's just one thing I want you to know, and that's how much you're missed. Even after all of these years, it's not getting any easier not having you around. I miss your laugh. I miss your smile. You were the only person in this world I trusted implicitly" -Steve Barton (Dave's best friend) "I love you and I miss you and I'll never be the same without you." -Richard Tirado "I miss you dearly, and will always remember you. And that I wish you were still here." -Rob Barton "You are remembered still. I can still see you in school or laughing as we joke or I put you in a headlock. I still cry when I think of the loss we experienced when you and others from the youth program died that day." -Doug Blancero I aslo asked Dave's friends if they had one more day with their beloved buddy what would they do with the time... "If I had 1 more day with my brother I would switch spots with him." -Richard Tirado "Like old times, we would eat junk food, watch bad pay per views, and play video games till the sun came up." -Rob Barton "I would probably just want to spend time with him and let him know how good he is." -Doug Blancero Obviously the world lost a great many things on Sept 11, 2001. The innocent civilians caught in the middle of an international war of idealogies before our unsuspecting eyes struck all of us at the core of our beings. We saw the absolute worst in humanity that day. I took on this project because the only way we have a chance of turning something good out of that day is by continually reminding ourselves individually and collectively how precious each moment of each day is and just how tightly knit we are as a global community. If we can walk away from 9/11 more aware of our actions and their consequences as a nation and with a deeper appreciation for life as individuals then that day will have made us stronger and the lives lost will not have been in vain. As it is now said... Never Forget! To review the other participants in Project 2996 go here. To learn more about Project 2996 click on the link on the right sidebar. Thank you to Christopher Cross, Steve and Bob Barton, Richard Tirado and Doug Blancero for your efforts and contributions toward this tribute.