Pound in Wise County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Francis Gary Powers — U2 Pilot
Photographed By J. J. Prats, October 17, 2015
1. Francis Gary Powers — U2 Pilot Marker
Inscription.
Francis Gary Powers — U2 Pilot. . 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.
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.
Erected 2005 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number KA-20.)
Location. 37° 6.025′ N, 82° 35.977′ W. Marker is in Pound, Virginia, in Wise County. Marker is at the intersection of Orby Cantrell Highway (U.S. 23) and Indian Creek Road (Business U.S. 23), on the right when traveling north on Orby Cantrell Highway. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Pound VA 24279, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Also see . . . Wikipedia Entry. “Soviet intelligence was aware of encroaching U-2 flights since 1956 but lacked effective countermeasures until 1960. On May 1, 1960, Powers’ U-2, which departed from a military airbase in Peshawar, Pakistan with support from the US Air Station at Badaber (Peshawar Air Station), was shot down by an S-75 Dvina surface-to-air missile over Sverdlovsk. Powers was unable to activate the plane’s self-destruct mechanism before he bailed out and was captured.” (Submitted on November 22, 2015.)
Photographed By J. J. Prats, October 17, 2015
2. Francis Gary Powers — U2 Pilot Marker
RIA Novosti archive, image #35172 / Chernov / CC-BY-SA 3.0, via Wikipedia Commons, November 22, 1960
3. Powers Wears Special Pressure Suit Ф. Г. Пауэрс в специальной экипировке
Francis Gary Powers wearing special pressure suit for stratospheric flying was an American spy whose Lockheed U-2 reconnaissance plane was shot down by a Soviet surface-to-air missile outside Sverdlovsk. Фрэнсис Гарри Пауэрс в специальной экипировке для длительных полетов в стратосфере - американский шпион, чей самолет-разведчик "Локхид У-2" был сбит советской зенитной ракетой под Свердловском. Россия, Москва
Credits. This page was last revised on October 24, 2022. It was originally submitted on November 22, 2015, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,518 times since then and 104 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on November 22, 2015, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.