An anti-war speech by an ex-marine sparked a heated response from some members in the audience in Hinde Auditorium last week.

Jeff Patterson, whose job was to assemble nuclear weapons, spoke to a crowd of students, staff and faculty in Hinde auditorium, and charged that U.S. foreign policy today is driven by big business concerns – the same motivation spurring talk of a second war now.

“I was against going (to fight in the Persian Gulf) for a couple of reasons,” he said. “I knew that the goal of the U.S. was to impose a policy that had to do with corporate interests. I also realized that if I was to go, and nuclear weapons were needed, I would be responsible for the deaths of thousands of Iraqi’s.”

Patterson refused to serve in the Gulf War almost a decade ago. War supporters in the audience jeered Patterson during a question and answer session after his remarks.

“My dad served in World War II proudly, and my son is digging trenches for the Marines,” said an unidentified heckler. “My question to you is, where are your morals if you can’t keep your commitment to your country?”

Patterson’s answer: Standing up against wrong-headed policies is moral.

“To be a true patriot in our current environment is to question and criticize our government,” he said. “What they are doing is wrong.”Patterson was the first enlisted person to oppose the 1991 war. In August 1990, as George Bush, Sr., was gearing up for battle against Saddam Hussein after Iraq invaded Kuwait, the Marine corporal protested by sitting down on the tarmac as his plane prepared to leave for Saudi Arabia.

Patterson faced a dishonorable discharge and prison for his demonstration, but the charges were dropped and he received an Other Than Honorable discharge.