Overview
At fifteen, Guy Nohra fought in the Lebanese Civil War—and now he shares his harrowing story as an urgent warning that the forces tearing America apart are the same ones that destroyed his homeland.
In April 1975, fifteen-year-old Guy P. Nohra traded his guitar, basketball, and school uniform for an assault rifle and army fatigues when civil war erupted on the streets of Beirut. Within weeks, the cosmopolitan city known as the “Paris of the Middle East” became a killing field—neighbors turned into enemies, churches became outposts, and a teenager was forced to make life-and-death decisions no child should ever face.
Not on Our Watch is the visceral, deeply personal memoir of a boy soldier who delivered sandwiches to frontline bunkers under sniper fire, fought nighttime raids behind enemy lines, survived a tank blast, and wrestled with the moral weight of killing. It is also a love letter to the American Dream that saved him—and a stark warning that the polarization, dehumanization, and erosion of trust he witnessed in Lebanon are now taking root in the United States.
Drawing direct parallels between the forces that destroyed Beirut and the divisions fracturing American society today, Nohra offers an unforgettable, firsthand account of what happens when political rhetoric becomes civil war. His message is simple and urgent: it doesn’t have to happen here—but only if we choose to stop it.
Not on Our Watch is a story of war, survival, immigration, and hope—and a plea from someone who has lived through the nightmare that too many Americans believe could never come true.
In April 1975, fifteen-year-old Guy P. Nohra traded his guitar, basketball, and school uniform for an assault rifle and army fatigues when civil war erupted on the streets of Beirut. Within weeks, the cosmopolitan city known as the “Paris of the Middle East” became a killing field—neighbors turned into enemies, churches became outposts, and a teenager was forced to make life-and-death decisions no child should ever face.
Not on Our Watch is the visceral, deeply personal memoir of a boy soldier who delivered sandwiches to frontline bunkers under sniper fire, fought nighttime raids behind enemy lines, survived a tank blast, and wrestled with the moral weight of killing. It is also a love letter to the American Dream that saved him—and a stark warning that the polarization, dehumanization, and erosion of trust he witnessed in Lebanon are now taking root in the United States.
Drawing direct parallels between the forces that destroyed Beirut and the divisions fracturing American society today, Nohra offers an unforgettable, firsthand account of what happens when political rhetoric becomes civil war. His message is simple and urgent: it doesn’t have to happen here—but only if we choose to stop it.
Not on Our Watch is a story of war, survival, immigration, and hope—and a plea from someone who has lived through the nightmare that too many Americans believe could never come true.
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