Francis Gary Powers--U2 Pilot

Wise County · dedicated 2005 · Intersection of Rte. 23 and Business Rte. 23, at Pound

Francis Gary Powers (1929–1977) was raised here in Pound and graduated from Grundy High School. Powers enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1950 after graduating from Milligan College in Tennessee. In 1956, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) recruited him to fly espionage missions over the Soviet Union. On 1 May 1960 the Soviets shot down his U-2 spy plane. Parachuting to safety, he was captured, tried, and sentenced to ten years in prison for espionage. Powers was exchanged in 1962 for a Soviet spy. The CIA and the military decorated him for his efforts. He died 1 Aug. 1977 in a helicopter crash and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

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Francis Gary Powers--U2 Pilot

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