Pedro Autor
USS LaVallette (DD448) fantail
Leyte Gulf
Samar, Philippine Islands
1300 (1:00 PM)
November 30, 1944

The land off Leyte Gulf had just been taken. As we stood by offshore, two young brothers in a canoe approached the LaVallette, asking for medical help. Permission was granted. While the injured boy was treated, his younger brother posed for this drawing on the fantail. This was our first contact with the liberated Filipinos of WWII. Knowing it was an historic moment, I asked Pedro to sign his name and address on the portrait. I often wonder how their lives played out.