Lolita Harper David Alexander sat on the...

Lolita Harper

David Alexander sat on the stage at St. John the Baptist Catholic

School on Monday afternoon dressed in a perfectly pressed uniform,

with his many Marine Corps medals gleaming in contrast to the dark

wool.

Alexander sat in his chair with a serious look on his face as he

looked over the audience. He stood forcefully, with the rigid

discipline of a soldier, when it came time to honor the nation’s

veterans.

His hardened exterior melted when a first-grader delivered a

single white carnation to thank him for his service to the country. A

wide smile broke across his face as he accepted the simple, yet

significant gift.

“Being up on stage brings home the point of what we’re here to

defend,” Alexander said after the Veterans Day service at St. John

the Baptist. “It’s the men and women and young boys and girls that

you are sworn to protect.”

Alexander shared the stage with about 40 other veterans of various

ages and branches of the armed forces. Each took their honored

position in front of the church while a student body of 600 and other

members of the community paid tribute.

The mood of the service varied, from a solemn playing of Taps --

remembering those who gave their lives in service -- to lively,

upbeat traditional wartime jazz played by The Air National Guard Band

of the Southwest.

Each class showed its admiration for the servicemen and women with

homages of patriotic tunes they had been perfecting since September.

Gina Galassi, 13, said all the hours of practice were well worth

it.

“This is very important because they saved our country,” Gina

said.

Veteran Kathryn Van Hook, who served in the Marines during World

War II, certainly appreciated the ceremony.

“I’ve been to a lot of Veterans Day programs, but this one came

from those children’s hearts, and I can’t get over it,” Van Hook

said.

Alexander and his family certainly took heart in the service. His

nieces, who both attend the private Catholic school, also thanked

Alexander by crushing him in a grateful embrace.

This time, the restraint ingrained in him from 10 years of

military service was gone, and a large grin replaced it.

The girls will only be able to see their uncle briefly, as he will

return to the Marine base in Hawaii in two months. After that, it is

anyone’s guess.

“You never know,” Alexander said when asked if he was in danger of

being sent to the Middle East. “No one is immune. When they call you

up to go, they don’t give you a choice.”

* LOLITA HARPER covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4275 or by e-mail at lolita.harper@latimes.com.