Son of famed U-2 pilot promotes history for kids

National Press Club member Francis Gary Powers Jr., son of the famed U-2 pilot, says kids need to know their history to understand the present. That's why his current projects include a series of graphic novels about the Cold War.

Powers spoke Wednesday at a meeting of American Legion Post 20. His recent publications include the graphic novel Enemy Territory, which tells the story of his father's shootdown over the Soviet Union in 1960. 

"Kids are not taught the things they need to know," Powers said. He plans other graphic novels on Cold War events, such as the Berlin Airlift, the Bay of Pigs invasion, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the rise of the Berlin Wall.

Powers said he once spoke to a group of young students who had no idea why he was there.

"They thought I was there to talk about the U-2 rock band," Powers said.

He consulted on the 2015 Steven Spielberg film Bridge of Spies. The movie depicts his father's downing by a Soviet missile, the subsequent trial and imprisonment, and later exchange for captured Soviet spy Rudolf Abel. The film also touches on some of the misinformation that circulated about the incident. Declassified records eventually revealed the elder Powers had conducted himself with honor. He was posthumously awarded the Prisoner of War Medal, the Silver Star, and the Distinguished Flying Cross. 

"It goes to show it's never too late to set the record straight," Powers said. 

Powers made a cameo appearance in Bridge of Spies. He played a government agent present when his father took off on that fateful flight.

"It was very surreal to walk 'Dad' out on this mission," Powers said.

Powers has written extensively on the U-2 incident and other Cold War events. His books for adults include Spy Pilot and Letters From a Soviet Prison. His works in progress include Cold War Virginia, about historical Cold War sites.

Post 20 has been affiliated with the Press Club for more than a century.

Francis Gary Powers Jr. addreses American Legion Post 20. Photo: Rex Stucky.