Francis Gary Powers

Francis Gary Powers (August 17, 1929 – August 1, 1977) – often referred to as simply Gary Powers – was an American pilot whose Central Intelligence AgencyU-2 spy plane was shot down while flying a reconnaissance mission in Soviet Union airspace, causing the 1960 U-2 incident.

Early life

Powers was born in Jenkins, Kentucky, son of Oliver Winfield Powers, a coal miner, and his wife Ida Melinda Ford. Of part Melungeon ancestry, he grew up in Pound, Virginia, just across the state border. He was the second born and only male of six children. His family lived in a mining town, and because of the hardships associated with the life in such a town, his father wanted Powers to become a doctor. He hoped his son would achieve the higher earnings of such a profession and felt the life of a doctor would involve less hardship than any job in his hometown.

Education

Graduating from Milligan College in Tennessee in 1950, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force. After completing his advanced training with USAF Pilot Training Class 52-H at Williams AFB, AZ, Powers was assigned to the 468th Strategic Fighter Squadron at Turner Air Force Base, Georgia, as an F-84 Thunderjet pilot. According to his son, he did not fly combat missions during the Korean War, because he was recruited by the CIA for his outstanding record in single engine jet aircraft. By 1960, Powers was already a veteran of many covert aerial reconnaissance missions.