History Detectives "Korean War Letter, Diana, Lookout Mt. Painting" on WXXI-TV

This letter details a heroic act that saved the lives of several soldiers. Was the hero ever decorated for his deed?

Credit: Sandra McDaniel

The daughter of a Korean War Veteran (MIA) looks for the man her father mentioned in a letter.

Rhonda Bradley never met her father. He’s still listed Missing in Action from the Korean War. In a letter dated 1953, her father mentioned a man he said saved his life. Eduardo Pagán researches the “Korean War Letter” to find the man Rhonda believes is a hero. Then Tukufu Zuberi searches for the author of Diana: A Strange Biography. Could “Diana” be groundbreaking literature as the first widely published and true lesbian autobiography? Then, Wes Cowan digs into the mystery of the “Lookout Mt. Painting,” depicting a Civil War battle. How did the artist of this painting end up in prison at the Rock Island Arsenal?

History DetectivesS "Korean War Letter, Diana, Lookout Mt. Painting" airs Monday, July 26 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV (DT21.1/cable 11/cable 1011).

“Korean War Letter”: The daughter of a Korean War Veteran (MIA) looks for the man her father mentioned in a letter. The letter says this man saved her father’s life.

“Diana”: Could this be the first true, widely published lesbian autobiography?

“Lookout Mt. Painting”: This painting depicts the Civil War battle of Lookout Mountain. What’s the story behind the prisoner who painted the scene?

America's top gumshoes are back to prove once again that an object found in an attic or backyard might be anything but ordinary. Wesley Cowan, independent appraiser and auctioneer; Gwendolyn Wright, historian and professor of architecture, Columbia University; Elyse Luray, independent appraiser and expert in art history; Dr. Eduardo Pagán, professor of history and American studies at Arizona State University; and Tukufu Zuberi, professor of sociology and the director of the Center for Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania leave no stone unturned as they travel around the country to explore the stories behind local folklore, prominent figures and family legends.