Gov. Schwarzenegger, Mayor Villaraigosa and actor Jon Voight help mark Memorial Day at West Los Angeles National Cemetery.

(Excerpts)

By Martha Groves, Los Angeles Times

Hundreds of proud relatives and friends of military veterans — and many others simply paying respects — crowded onto the flag-filled burial ground to hear Hollywood stars and political leaders extol the bravery and sacrifice of the men and women interred there.

Serving as master of ceremonies was actor Jon Voight, a U.S. Army reservist who won a best actor Oscar for his portrayal of a paraplegic Vietnam War veteran in the 1978 film "Coming Home." Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa joined other dignitaries who paid tribute to fallen soldiers, sailors, Guard troops and Marines.

The ceremony's theme was "Remembering the War Correspondent," and celebrities including Robert Forster and Lee Purcell read samples of the battleground reporting by or about such greats as Edward R. Murrow, Ernest Hemingway and Ernie Pyle.

martha.groves@latimes.com

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