Even as a blanket of clouds hung over most of Napa Valley, Wild Lake shone in the sun, a bright mirror of forest greens. At about 2,500 feet in elevation, the air up there is slightly crisper than on the valley floor. And it's quieter. Grass swishes. Occasionally a leaping fish splashes and songbirds chatter.

A gentle wind rustled the leaves of trees towering above the many gravestones at Veterans Home of California's cemetery Monday morning. Down below, a crowd of veterans, motorcycle-club members, politicians and families honored the 5,100 brave men and women who lie in the cemetery -- and the thousands of individuals around the nation who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.