Hugh B. Hester

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Hugh Bryan Hester (1895-1983) was an Army Brigadier General born in Hester, North Carolina.

He attended the University of North Carolina graduating in 1916.

Although he had objections to World War I, Hester enlisted in the Army, and became a 2nd lieutenant in the artillery. For his war service, he received the Silver Star, the Croix de Guerre, and the French Legion of Honor.

He remained in the Army as a career officer and during World War II served in the Pacific Theater under General MacArthur. After a number of other commands Hester served as commanding general of the Philadelphia Quartermaster Depot until his retirement as a Brigadier General in 1951.

After retirement, Hester studied law and international relations at UNC, the University of Pennsylvania, and George Washington University. Hester became

...an outspoken opponent of U.S. foreign policy and devoted the remainder of his life to writing and lecturing against U.S. defense postures. From the mid 1960s through 1983, he was a special correspondent for The Nation, The Churchman, and U.S. Farm News, as well as a speaker on the lecture circuit.

Hester's felt that America's involvement in the Vietnam War was an illegal action which began during Eisenhower's administration. He saw it as a violation of the U.N. Charter, an act of aggression against the people of Vietnam, and an effort towards world domination.