Born Burdine, Kentucky, and educated at Whitesburg. Graduated Grundy High School, Grundy, Va.; attended Milligan College near Johnson City, Tennessee.

Enlisted as Aviation Cadet, USAF, received wings and commission December 1952. Resigned in May 1956 to become a civilian U-2 pilot for the CIA. Began high-altitude surveillance and over flights of the USSR in late 1956, providing vital intelligence photographs of Russian military activity. These flights continued for more than four years, despite Russian efforts to shoot them down. Soviet leaders were so embarrassed by this defensive weakness that they did not dare complain publicly until Powers was finally shot down on May 1, 1960.

Powers was held prisoner until his exchange on 2/10/62 for Russian spy Col. Rudolph Abell. Although Captain Powers was criticized at the time (some believing that he should have died rather than allow himself to be captured), declassified documents show that Russian intelligence gained no vital information from him. During his captivity, Gary Powers conducted himself according the highest standards of integrity.

Honors include the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Intelligence Star for Valor, one of the CIA's highest awards. Paperwork is in progress to award a posthumous POW medal in 2000.

Following the U-2 incident, Powers flew for Lockheed as U-2 test pilot until early 1970. From 1972 to 1977, he flew for radio and television stations in Los Angeles, doing on-air reports. He was killed in Los Angles, California in 1977 in a helicopter crash while reporting news for K-NBC television. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.