Hanna Yussuf Atik was born on 7 February 1959 in Al Hedd-Akkar, a village in Northern Lebanon, to a non-political Maronite family who had been farmers for several generations.
His first experience with the war occurred in 1976 when he was around 16 years old; after severe confrontations with the Palestinian-backed forces, the Lebanese Army withdrew from Bayt Mellat.
After massacres in neighboring Christian villages such as Bayt Mellat, Rahbe, Tel Abbas and Deir Janeen, Hanna Atik and his family were forced to flee towards Keserwan.
Atik was the first leader to allow women to join the military forces,[citation needed] and held a dedicated Sadem training session specifically for females.
As the Lebanese Forces experienced several leadership takeovers following the assassination of founder Bachir Gemayel, Hanna Atik continued to serve within the ranks of the Lebanese Forces, leading his command to a number of victories in battle, including Billa, Achrafiye's Battle of 100 days, Qanet, Oyoun l Seeman, Al Masatel, Sanneen, the French Room (Ghurfe Franciye), Zahle, Mtolle, and Ain Al Hor.
However, he agreed to continue serving within the ranks of the Lebanese Forces, on condition that all other detained LF members be released unharmed, and that he would never obey an order to hold a gun against any of his comrades.