David F. Tierney is an accomplished entrepreneur, author, and Vietnam veteran whose career spans a remarkable range of industries and creative pursuits. Throughout his life, Mr. Tierney has demonstrated resilience, versatility, and a deep commitment to excellence, both in business and personal achievement.
Over the years, Mr. Tierney has founded and operated several successful ventures all as sole proprietorships: Masseur David, the Pain Killer, The Chain Gang, Tree Removal, Harmony Counseling Services, and SPK Systems, Consulting. His entrepreneurial spirit and innovative mindset have allowed him to excel in multiple fields while maintaining a passion for creative expression. He acted two years in high school, two years a Catholic University of America in Washington DC and at the Merrimack Repertory Theater in Lowell. His favorite part is The Telltale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe. Perfect for a Catholic with a conscience! For 22 years he hosted his own radio program as a volunteer community DJ at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, entitled Thinking Out Loud. As a prolific writer and performing poet he has amassed 27 volumes of poetry, and essays reflecting his lifelong love for language, public speaking and storytelling.
Graduating from high school in 1960 he immediately entered the French Christian Brothers as Brother David Ignatius, FSC and attended the Catholic University of America majoring in English with minors in French and Latin. Leaving the brotherhood in 1963 he attended Boston State College two years two nights a week before joining the United States Marine Corps in order to make himself eligible for the G.I. Bill. Serving in Okinawa for one year, he attended the University of Maryland switching to sociology/psychology. In two years he advanced from Private to Corporal, E-4 as a heavy truck operator. Returning to the United States he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant rifle platoon commander in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive earning the Purple Heart, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry and two awards of the Meritorious Unit Citation. Shot four times in 1968 and severely burned, hospitalized for 7 ½ months, told he would never walk again normally without a drop foot brace, a limp and a cane and that the most strenuous thing he would ever do is play a casual round of golf, in 1978 he ran and finished three full-length marathons: Boston, Chicago and the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC. Discharged in 1970 as a First Lieutenant, he immediately enrolled in Boston University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Computer Sciences, cum laude.
Mr. Tierney continues to embody the principles of courage, creativity, and service that have defined his life. As a man of faith to this day he wrote on his helmet liner in magic marker while serving in Vietnam “Into your hands O Lord I commend my spirit.” The last words Christ spoke as he is he died on the cross. His journey stands as a powerful example of resilience and reinvention, inspiring others to pursue their goals with dedication and integrity.
