Bashir Gemayel 
1947-1982

* Bashir Gemayel was born in Beirut, on November 10, 1947. He was the youngest of a family of six children: four girls and two boys. His home-town was Bikfaya in the caza of Metn. His father was Pierre Gemayel, founder and president of the Lebanese Kataeb party.

* He completed his primary and intermediate studies at “Notre-Dame de Jamhour” and his secondary studies at the Lebanese Modern Institute.

* In 1962, he joined the Kataeb party and became a member in the Kataeb Student Section

* In 1968, he participated in a student colloquium organized by the newspaper Orient, following the events which occurred in the universities between the leftist students supporting Palestinians in Lebanon and Lebanese and nationalist students.

* In 1970, Palestinian militants kidnapped him from Dekwaneh to the Tal el-Zaater camp and released him after 8 hours. This incident had an impact on his subsequent political positions.

* In 1970, he paid a visit to Egypt in response to an invitation addressed to him by Khaled Abdul-Nasser, the son of President Jamal Abdul-Nasser, with whom he met, and he was impressed by his personality.

* He received a degree in Law (1971) and a degree in Political Science (1973) from the Saint Joseph University in Beirut.

* During the course of his university studies, he taught for three years (1968 - 1971) Civil Education at the intermediate and secondary levels in the Lebanese Modern Institute.

* In 1971, he was appointed inspector in the Kataeb Regular Forces, which was the para-military branch of the Kataeb party.

He traveled the same year to Dallas, Texas to take a law course; he obtained in 1972 a degree from the American and International Law Academy.

* He joined the bar association and opened an office in Hamra street, in West Beirut (1972-1975).

* In 1973, he was appointed vice-president of the Kataeb Achrafieh sector.

In 1974, he founded the “B.G.” squad, the core of the Lebanese Forces, which was formed by university students in order to face the Palestinian military danger, reflected at that time by armed barricades, kidnapping and attacks on citizens.

* In 1976, he was appointed vice-president of the Kataeb Military Council, then, president of the Military Council following the death of William Hawi in the Tal el-Zaater battle.

During the same year, he met the Druze leader, Kamal Jumblatt, in order to unify the Lebanese ranks against the spread of the Syrian army in Lebanon.

During the same year, he formed the unified Lebanese Forces and headed its leadership council.

* In 1977, he married Solange Toutoungi.

* In 1978, the Syrian army arrested him in Sassine square and held him for a short period.

In the same year, his daughter Maya was born.

He led the “100 days war” against the Syrian forces which bombarded the two sectors of Achrafieh and Ain el-Remaneh.

* In 1980, his daughter Maya was killed by a car bomb aimed at him.

His daughter Youmna was born later.

During the same year, he unified the military forces in the Eastern sector and put an end to the military confusion in this region,

He became a member in the Lebanese Front which represented at that time the highest political power in the Eastern sector.

* In 1981, he led the battle of Zahleh, which was surrounded by the Syrian army in the Bekaa valley.

He paid his most important visit to the United States, to explain the Lebanese cause.

* In 1982, he organized the first international conference of solidarity with Lebanon.

During the same year, his son Nadim was born.

He became a member in the “National Salvation Front”, which was founded by president Elias Sarkis, which included many Lebanese Christian and Muslim leaders.

* Before he was elected president of the Lebanese Republic, he traveled to Taef in Saudi Arabia where he met with the foreign ministers of the Arab countries.

The Lebanese parliament elected him president of the Lebanese Republic on August 23, 1982.

He was killed along with many of his companions in the explosion of the Kataeb headquarters in the Achrafieh sector on September 14, 1982.