Memorial to Major Doak A. Weston
Written and Photographed by Nancy Clover
High atop Mt. Hood near Slayton Tower, a granite bench bears the inscription: “Greater love than this hath no man: than a man lay down his life for his friends.”
Those words capture the heroism of Major Doak A. Weston, a 30-year-old Air Corps pilot who, 80 years ago, gave his life to save the citizens of Melrose.
On September 24, 1945, a twin-engine B-25J carrying six men took off from Grenier Field in Manchester, NH, for a training flight to Boston. On the return trip, while flying over Saugus, the aircraft developed engine trouble, and one engine caught fire.
Major Weston ordered his crew to bail out—all five did and landed safely. But knowing the plane was over a heavily populated area, Weston stayed at the controls, determined to find a safe place to bring it down. Witnesses recalled the flaming aircraft circling over Melrose, Malden, Saugus, and Wakefield before Weston aimed for the open stretch of Mount Hood Golf Course.
Too low to parachute himself, he guided the failing plane as far as he could. The B-25 crashed and exploded at the 8th green, killing Major Weston instantly. A wing broke free and struck a nearby home, but firefighters quickly contained the flames, and no one on the ground was harmed.
At the site today stands a black granite memorial etched with the names of the crew, a rendering of their B-25, the Air Corps seal, and the Distinguished Flying Cross—awarded posthumously to Major Weston “for heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight.”
Because of his courage, lives on the ground were spared. His sacrifice remains a lasting reminder of selfless duty and love for others.
