Kaisar Fouad Abou Merhej

Kaisar grew up in a loving family, his father Fouad Abou Merhej, his mother Leyla Bchara, and his two brothers Afif and Michel. He was married to Grace Abdallah, and had two children, Joseph (4) and Giovanni (16 months).

Kaisar went to school in Rachaya, and graduated from the town's technical institute with a TS in Accounting. He joined the Lebanese General Security in 2006 as a cadet, and was gradually promoted to become a Chief Inspector First Class, on December 31, 2018. Throughout his service, he attended several trainings in Lebanon, and was, in different instances, decorated by the General Director of General Security, Major General Abbas Ibrahim.

Kaisar was the family's breadwinner, a good son, a dedicated father, and a perfect husband. He was also loyal to the job, and committed to his duties. His dedication, as well as his sacrifice and performance, were always commended by his superiors.

On august 4, Kaisar was on duty at the Port of Beirut. He watched the fire erupting at warehouse number 12, and contacted his superiors to report the incident. They decided to evacuate the port workers, and take necessary measures before help arrives. At the moment, his wife was calling him to check up on him, but he told her he needed to call his chief officer to follow up on the incident.

Grace called again but his line was busy. All communication was completely lost at 6:07 PM. The warehouse exploded breaking the heart of Kaisar's mom who lost him forever.

His wife is proud of her martyr husband. She describes him as an angel who saved many lives from an inevitable death. Kaisar's dead body was among the first to arrive to Al-Zahraa Hospital on the day of the explosion. According to his autopsy, he died immediately of extreme physical injuries.

Kaisar's life was best celebrated in a heartfelt eulogy by his friend poet Souheil Sakr:

قيصر بروحه تفاني .. وروح تأسر بآدامية …

صادق وأمين ..بالوفا مشهور.. ابن الموسيقى والعلم

فليت ومش تارك ولا انسان حاقد عليك وفي إلو غلة
فليت وفيه بروحك وفا وعز وكرامة بموسم القلة