Klamath Falls, OR

On May 5, 1945, a balloon bomb launched by Japan exploded after a group of picnickers approached it on the ground northeast of Bly, Oregon. The detonation killed six people -- five Sunday school children and the pregnant wife of a minister. The US government didn't officially warn citizens about the threat of the bombs until a few weeks later.

Three of the dead are buried at Linkville Pioneer Cemetery in Klamath Falls -- the inscription on the headstone says "All killed by enemy balloon bomb."

The six killed that day were the only US mainland casualties of World War II's Pacific conflict.

There is a monument at the site of the incident, but as of June 2022 the area remains closed due to forest fire damage. The USDA reports that firefighters were able to wrap the monument to prevent fire damage, but the area is not yet ready for visitors.