Spy Pilot

Francis Gary Powers, the U-2 Incident, and a Controversial Cold War Legacy

February 20, 2025, 7pm

With Francis Gary Powers, Jr.

Francis Gary Powers, Jr., debunks the fake news that surrounded the U-2 Incident and tarnished his father’s reputation.  He reveals what it was like growing up in the shadow of a famous Cold War figure, details his search for the truth after his father’s tragic death in 1977, and explains how his research prompted the United States Air Force and CIA to posthumously award his father the POW Medal, Director’s Medal, and Silver Star.

Join us in-person at Rocktown History or connect via the Rocktown History YouTube channel. No registration required.

Gary is the author of Letters from a Soviet Prison (2017), Spy Pilot (2019), Enemy Territory (2022), The Berlin Airlift (2024), Cold War Virginia (2024), and Protecting America: Cold War Defensive Sites (2024). He is Founder and Chairman Emeritus of The Cold War Museum located at Vint Hill, VA, and assisted the National Park Service in identifying historic Cold War sites for preservation.  In 2015, he consulted for the Steven Spielberg thriller, Bridge of Spies, about the 1962 spy exchange between KGB spy Rudolph Abel and U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers, Sr.  He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy and Master’s Degrees in Public Administration and U.S. History.  Gary lectures internationally and appears regularly on C-SPAN and the History and Discovery channels.

Powers will bring copies of his books for sale and signing.

This program is presented in partnership with the Augusta Military Academy Museum.