Hassan Moustapha Tay

42-year old Corporal Hassan was born in Niha, in the Bekaa. He was the son of an army soldier, and had five brothers and two sisters. He was a wonderful happy child, kind, and self-confident. He went to two different public schools before enlisting with the Lebanese army on April 28, 1998. He was promoted to Corporal in December 2008, and served in the first artillery regiment for fourteen years, moving between Wata Al Jawz, Riak, South Lebanon, Karantina and finally the Port of Beirut…

Hassan was a loving husband, he was a devoted father to Elissar (21), whom he was ecstatic for her wedding ten months ago, and Mohamed (19) who is eager to follow in his father and grandfather footsteps.

He was planning for his retirement from military duty and wanted to use his retirement fund to build a family home in his birth town…

Hassan received five army medals, including a war medal, "during his military duty, a huge explosion happened in the Port of Beirut, on August 4, 2020, causing him extreme physical injuries that led to his martyrdom", in addition to a commendation from the Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces General Joseph Aoun, for the same reason.

On the day of the explosion, Hassan reported for duty at the Port of Beirut at noon, after two days off, according to his brother Hussein. At 6:00 PM, he put his rifle down and sat down to eat. Minutes later, there was a huge blast. The military station's ceiling fell over, killing him instantly. Hassan died a martyr with other army men. Yet, despite the blast's enormity, his body remained complete.

A friend called his brother Hussein to tell him Hassan is wounded and being treated at the Military Hospital. When he arrived onsite, Hassan friends did not want to give him the bad news that his brother already died, they tried to convince him he was still alive, but one of them took him in his arms and told him that "Abou Mohamad passed away"….

Hassan was committed to the army's motto "Honesty – Sacrifice – Loyalty" until his last breath. He could not realize his dream of building a home for his family. A family that suddenly lost a most precious member.