THE PRICE OF FREEDOM SOMBER CEREMONIES MARK VETERANS DAY.

Byline: Dana Bartholomew Staff Writer

Southern California placed its hand over its heart Tuesday during Veterans Day tributes honoring the millions of American fighting men and women who have sacrificed for their country.

In solemn ceremonies around Los Angeles, veterans joined the rest of the nation in commemorating the day with drum rolls, salutes, military flyovers and memories of far-flung battlefields.

The Veterans Day holiday was especially moving as American war casualties mount each day in Iraq.

``Today, every American stands on the shoulder of every veteran,'' said Gov. Gray Davis during a ceremony at Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills attended by thousands.

``As a young Army captain in Vietnam many years ago, I know what it was like to feel that you may never see your family again. And as governor today, I understand the profound debt of gratitude we all have for the brave men and women in Iraq today who are defending our freedom.''

Of the 42 million men and women who have served in the United States armed forces, one million have been killed in combat - from the muskets of Bunker Hill to the bombs of Iraq.

On Tuesday, government offices, banks and schools closed to honor a national holiday once known as Armistice Day - observed on the 11th hour of the llth day of the llth month to commemorate the end of World War I, ``the war to end all wars.''

``When the armistice ending World War I was signed on Nov. 11, 1918, more than 4.7 million Americans put down their arms and turned to the work of strengthening our nation,'' said President George W. Bush in a Veterans Day proclamation read by Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich at Forest Lawn.

``Today, our veterans inspire new generations of Americans as we work to defeat terrorism and advance peace.''

In Veterans Day ceremonies from Forest Lawn to Palmdale to Simi Valley to Burbank, veterans turned out to salute their flag - and each other. Some wore old fatigues. Some dangled war medals. Others donned the proud caps of their American Legion and Veterans of Foreign War posts.

At the Van Nuys Civic Center, about 100 candles flickered in the cool evening air as City Councilman Tony Cardenas and others commemorated the sacrifices of American veterans.

Gabriela Mojica, whose husband, Jesse, has been stationed in Iraq and Kuwait since February, said every day brings worries for her and the couple's two children.

But Jesse Mojica, a 29-year-old Los Angeles Police Department officer called up from the Army Reserves, is proud to defend American interests in wartime, his wife said. ``Jesse is fighting for a dream,'' Gabriela Mojica said during the ceremony. ``He's fighting for his children's dream, he's fighting for his neighbors' dream, he's fighting for your dream. That dream is freedom.''

At Forest Lawn, veterans from five decades of service stood by to celebrate America's special forces and, in the words of one official, a ``flag washed in the blood of patriots.''

Parachutists bearing Old Glory followed a National Guard flyover. Scottish bagpipers skirled ``Amazing Grace'' and veterans of the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines stood up to salute brassy hymns from each respective service.

``This is our day,'' said World War II Navy Seabee veteran Joseph Hutt, 77, of North Hills, sporting a service cap from Panorama City American Legion Post 817. ``I look forward to attending these ceremonies every year.''

Eddie Ordunez, 69, of North Hollywood wore a ``Fighting 520'' jacket from American Legion Post 520 in Sun Valley.

``It's too bad we have to celebrate Veterans Day, with those who are no longer with us,'' the former Korean War Air Force mechanic said. ``But we must be grateful for the ones who can make it.''

In Palmdale, Cub Scouts from Pack 767 arrived three hours before the 11 a.m. ceremony at Desert Lawn Memorial Park to place flags on veterans' graves.

Among the crowd was Palmdale resident Steve Melton, who served four years in the Marines, including one year in Vietnam. Melton said he knows how every man and woman in Iraq now feels.

``Everybody wants to come home,'' he said. ``But they are out there and as military personnel they're going to serve their country ... and do their job the best they can,'' said Melton.

In Simi Valley, a handful of veterans attended a daylong commemoration at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, where Harold Van Vuren sat in his wheelchair and carefully opened a red photo album of his fighting years in the South Pacific during World War II.

In one photo, a baby-faced Marine fires from a trench. In another, a flattened village. Another shows a shirtless prisoner of war kneeling in the rubble of someone's home.

``I saw a lot of damage, shells, a lot of dead bodies,'' said Van Vuren, 81, a former Marine from Simi Valley, while his son, a Vietnam veteran, looked on. ``It was organized, satanic madness.

``I don't like war and I don't believe in it, (yet) we are dedicated to our country - and freedom is not free.''

In Burbank, the grim news of increasing attacks on American soldiers in Iraq overshadowed a Veterans Day commemoration at McCambridge Park, where veterans unveiled a plaque to honor the late comedian Bob Hope, who entertained legions of American troops.

``He told me I had a Pepsodent smile,'' said Joe Roberts, who recounted his encounter with the famed comedian after losing a leg in World War II. ``He told me to keep smiling and boy, I was on cloud nine.''

U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks, was one of several dignitaries to urge the crowd to support the men and women now serving in Iraq, no matter what their feelings were about the ongoing conflict.

``Their courage is outstanding, and they have no doubt that America is worth fighting for,'' Sherman said. ``We owe them our respect, and we look forward to their return.''

As a flyover of eight World War II-era planes from the Condor Squadron at Van Nuys Airport rumbled overhead, veteran Thomas Schamber said he came to honor his fellow Marines, and to teach his daughters about his 22 years of service. Kathlyn, 7, wore her father's dress hat over her curly blond locks.

``I want my daughters to understand that they owe their freedom to veterans,'' he said, ``and that we all have a duty to serve our country.''

Staff Writers Peggy Hager, Heather MacDonald and Rachel Uranga contributed to this report.

Dana Bartholomew, [phone]

dana.bartholomew(at)dailynews.com

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6 photos

Photo:

(1 -- 2 -- color) At left, Doreen Ehrhardt of Moorpark and her grandson, Austin, bow their heads during a prayer at a Veterans Day ceremony at Rancho Tapo Community Park in Simi Valley on Tuesday. Ehrhardt's husband and two of her sons, including Austin's father, are veterans. Above, members of a color guard stand at attention during services at Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills.

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer

John McCoy/Staff Photographer

(3 -- color) Korean War veteran Sal Ayala of Simi Valley prepares to raise the flag Tuesday during a Veterans Day service in Simi Valley.

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer

(4 -- 6 -- color) Veterans Day was commemorated around the Southland on Tuesday. At left, at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, Civil War re-enactor Kevin Miller demonstrates how soldiers shot using ``firing sticks'' to support their weapons. At McCambridge Park in Burbank, a plaque honoring Bob Hope was unveiled, top left. Above, Gov. Gray Davis pins a Purple Heart on World War II veteran Alfred Grumet as his wife, Joanne, stands by.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer

John Lazar/Staff Photographer

John McCoy/Staff Photographer