More than 50 years after his U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union, iconic Cold War pilot Francis Gary Powers is to be posthumously awarded the Silver Star.
The medal, the third highest honour the U.S. military can bestow, was presented by Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz to Powers' grandson and granddaughter at a Pentagon ceremony on Friday.
Mr Powers' award is for exhibiting 'exceptional loyalty' during the long and intense interrogation that he endured while being held captive by the KGB and the Soviet Union for nearly two years... Powers was later killed while flying a KNBC helicopter in Van Nuys, California (more)
