Halderman, David

David Halderman, Sqd.18 David Halderman was a handsome‚ quiet‚ kind and gentle man. He had two brother and two sisters. David was the youngest of the brothers. He wasn’t married and had just celebrated his 40th birthday on August 2‚ 2001. He joined the fire department in June of 1992‚ following in the footsteps of his father who retired after 30 years and his brother Michael who was recently promoted to Battalion Chief. At the time of his death he was on the list to be promoted to Lieutenant. He was promoted posthumously. He loved the job and in 1999 he transferred to Squad 18 in Manhattan to be in a busier house and more involved in rescue work. His happiest moment on the job was when he delivered a baby. He was interested in history and read many books on the subject. He was very active in his twelve-step program and touched many lives in that fellowship and he is sorely missed there. David was on vacation for most of the month of August 2001. At that time his father was ill in Mt. Sinai Hospital in Manhattan and he spent much of that time visiting him and driving me and his sisters into the city to the hospital. His father died on August 8‚ 2001‚ one month before David. According to a firefighter who was in the north tower on 9/11‚ David and another man from Squad 18 were on their way out of the building when on the 18th floor they responded to a May Day from another company and returned to the upper floors. They never made it out of the building. He is truly an American Hero and would be slightly embarrassed at any attention given to his heroism as he mostly preferred to be out of the limelight.