‘Imad Nuwayhid (1945-1975) was an impressive young man. After receiving his education from the Lebanese University in 1966, ‘Imad moved to Europe during the student protests of the late 1960s. At the bequest of a French intellectual, ‘Imad also translated from French to Arabic the work of a famous Belgian, Jewish, anti-Zionist communist, in a few months no less. And upon his return to Lebanon in the 1970s, he received his law degree, all the while writing in defense of the Palestinian cause and its armed struggle. Lastly, and the point at which ‘Imad’s life story became a tale known by those beyond his immediate network, he fought and died as a fighter of the Lebanese Communist Party during the first phase of the Lebanese Civil War. While clearly a unique individual, ‘Imad was also a microcosm of the early Lebanese Civil War era (1969-1976). With his transformation from intellectual to fighter, and more importantly for the purposes of this paper, from a living, breathing, young man to a nameless symbol for the communist cause, ‘Imad’s biography reflects broader strategies of agents of violence during wartime. Through examining communist party sources, newspaper reports, the personal writings of ‘Imad Nuwayhid, and interviews with individuals around the life and death of ‘Imad, this paper argues that parties to Lebanon’s civil war appropriated “ordinary,” rank and file fighters and turned them into party symbols, but not without tension. Many people accepted the authority of the party, taking no issue with reducing individuals like ‘Imad to a rallying call for future young fighters. Yet some family members of martyrs questioned the appropriation of their child or sibling. In the case of ‘Imad, those closest to him criticized the party, wondering why this budding intellectual was sent to the frontlines—an act they deemed inadmissible, even in the context of wartime. These family reactions thus represent a challenge to the Communist Party’s wartime strategies and hegemonic power, instead claiming ‘Imad as an individual. This microhistory, and practices of those people and parties surrounding ‘Imad Nuwayhid, first confirms literature on the role of martyrdom in mobilization for war. Equally important, however, a look outside the party machine demonstrates the boundaries that family members contested. Indeed, the story around the life and death of ‘Imad highlights the very human side of assigning meaning in death, public and private memory, and morality and grief during violent encounters.