U2 pilot Powers given posthumous Silver Star

[W.G.Ewald]

AFP: U2 pilot Powers given posthumous Silver Star

American U2 spy plane pilot Francis Gary Powers, who was shot down in 1960 over the Soviet Union, was posthumously awarded a high honor Friday for his "exceptional loyalty" while in captivity.

It took more than 50 years for the US Air Force to award the Silver Star to Powers, who was sharply criticized after his release in 1962. The medal was given to his two grandchildren at a Pentagon ceremony.