The increasing number of Americans dying in Iraq is on the minds of veterans as they prepare for Memorial Day observances on Monday to salute those who have given their lives while protecting their country.

"In our Memorial Day ceremony, we'll honor those from World War II to the present with emphasis on Iraq," said Hal Geer of Simi Valley, an Air Force veteran from World War II who has a grandson in combat in Iraq.

"For instance, this year our music is more current than in the past, the tone of our whole observance is what's going on now," said Geer, a member of the Conejo-Simi Valley Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America, which has conducted Memorial Day observances in Westlake Village for 16 years. "And what's happening now in Iraq is becoming more heart-rending all the time."

Memorial Day events are scheduled across the county for Monday.

n In Westlake Village, the ceremonies at Pierce Bros. Valley Oaks Memorial Park will include a presentation of a wreath to the Melia family of Thousand Oaks in memory of U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Anthony Melia, killed in action in Iraq in January.

Melia, 20, a member of Thousand Oaks High School's Class of 2005, is among the more than 1,400 veterans buried in the cemetery.

The keynote speaker will be Donald M. Bishop, a former Air Force officer who is the foreign policy adviser to the commandant of the Marine Corps.

The memorial will begin at 11 a.m. It will be preceded at 10:30 by a concert by the Simi Valley High School Band. Valley Oaks is at 5600 Lindero Canyon Road. For information, call the cemetery at 495-0837.

n In Ventura, Assemblyman Pedro Nava, D-Santa Barbara, will deliver the keynote address at Ivy Lawn Memorial Park. The program will begin at 10:45 a.m. and will include a wreath tribute moderated by KEYT-TV anchor-reporter Tracy Lehr.

A flag-raising ceremony will be carried out by the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps and the 1st U.S. Volunteers Memorial Honors Detail. There will be a flyover by the 805th Navion Squadron and a rifle salute by the Ventura Military Explorers. The park is at 5400 Valentine Road. For details, call 642-1055 or go to http://www.ivylawn.org/.

n In Ojai, military personnel will share stories during a program at noon Monday in Libbey Bowl at Libbey Park on East Ojai Avenue at Signal Street. More than 400 posters of Ojai Valley veterans will be used to create a "Wall of Remembrance." (For information on honoring a loved one, call Nancy Hill at 649-3620.)

Historic preservationist Betty McAllister will speak about the veterans buried in Ojai Cemetery.

n In Moorpark, Memorial Day activities will begin Monday at 8 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial at Moorpark and Los Angeles avenues. American Legion Post 502 and Troop 604 of the Boy Scouts of America will replace weathered flags.

Also in Moorpark, an observance is scheduled at 10 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial Grove in Poindexter Park at 500 Poindexter Ave. The Scouts, Legionnaires and members of the Moorpark Kiwanis Club will host the observance, with Moorpark Councilman Mark Van Dam as the featured speaker. For information, call 523-3355 or 529-0215.

n In Oxnard, a Memorial Day observance will begin at 10 a.m. at American Legion Post 48 at 2639 Wagon Wheel Road.

Speakers include Lt. Cmdr. James Watts, USN, from Mobile Construction Battalion 40 at Naval Base Ventura County, Oxnard Mayor Tom Holden and former Navy Seabee Steve Weber.

Lunch will follow the ceremony. The public is welcome. For information, call 485-1600.

n In Simi Valley, the observance will begin at 10 a.m. at Simi Valley Pioneer Cemetery and will include comments by Mark Shuster of the Marine Corps League and local officials.

Wreaths will be placed on a tombstone in memory of all veterans, said Salvador Ayala of the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 55, organizer of the event.

Paul Mole, a highly decorated Marine in the Vietnam War, will play taps.

The cemetery is at 1461 Thompson Lane. For information, call Sal Ayala at 522-8361.

n In Santa Paula, an observance will begin at 10:30 a.m. at Santa Paula Cemetery, Grand Army of the Republic Monument, 380 Cemetery Road.

The Santa Paula High School band will perform. The main speaker will be Albino Pineda, a decorated World War II veteran and a resident of Santa Paula since 1942.

There will be a reading of the names of all Santa Paulans lost in conflicts throughout the years.

The event is sponsored by Mercer-Prieto Post 2043, Veterans of Foreign Wars. For information, call 683-9722.

n In Bardsdale, a ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. at the Bardsdale Cemetery, 1698 S. Sespe Ave.

The cemetery is the final resting place for 20 Fillmore residents killed in action during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, said Lavonne Deeter, a member of the cemetery's board.

Speakers will include Roy Jennings of Santa Paula, a highly decorated World War II veteran.

The traditional placing of the wreath will be by Gold Star wife Marie J. Schilling of Fillmore.

For information, call Deeter at 524-2090.