Saugus, Massachusetts (CNN) -- The image is still vivid after 65 years. Bob Attubato and his fellow sixth-grade classmates rushed to the window just in time to see a crippled twin-engine bomber trailing smoke and flames over their school. "Suddenly, we heard this unearthly sound coming over the school," Attubato recalled. "It just reverberated through the building." As the class stood there and watched, the plane's wing and engine broke off and it disappeared from view. A loud explosion followed. Attubato later learned that the pilot, Army Air Force Maj. Doak Weston stayed with the B-25 until it crashed on a nearby golf course, giving his five-man crew time to bail out and missing nearby homes.
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Maj. Doak Weston piloted a B-25 as it went down north of Boston, Massachusetts
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He stayed with the plane until it crashed, avoiding buildings and allowing his crew to bail
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Witnesses and survivors rallied to have Weston's sacrifice honored
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A ceremony was held at the crash site, 65 years to the day after the crash
@placeholder graciously accepted the thanks given to him by the veterans and residents who lined up after the service to shake his hand.