Dial and movement signed, case punched "Patent." DIM. 23 x 38 mm. THICKNESS 8 mm. Directly from the Family of the Original Owner General Douglas MacArthur in Manila, Philippines in 1945. 'And like the old soldier of that ballad, I now close my military career and just fade away, an old soldier who tried to do his duty as God gave him the light to see that duty. Good-bye.' -General Douglas Mac Arthur (1880-1964) 'Old soldiers never die, they just fade away' it is by these famous words at the Congress in 1951 that General Douglas Mac Arthur became one of the greatest military leaders of American History, interrupted during his speech by over fifty standing ovations. Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on January 26, 1880, Douglas Mac Arthur descendant of a long line of military men, was educated in the strictest way and knew before all that his life would be dedicated to become a strong military leader. He recalled in his memories, 'I learned how to ride and shoot even before I could read and write.' Raised up in a military family, he began to excel upon entering the military academy at West Point in 1899, following the West Texas Academy, where he graduated with the highest rank in 1903, achieving the highest results at the time. First assigned to the Philippines on his first military mission, he soon promoted to first lieutenant, then became secretary to his father in Japan, Arthur Mac Arthur. In his destiny as one of the most important military leader of the XXth century, especially in the Far East, Philippines and Japan, he always later called these first years of his military career, 'the most important preparation of my entire life'. In his return to the united Sates, he rapidly climbed all military ranks towards the First World War. After being the secretary to President Theodore Roosevelt from 1906 and then a member of the general staff in 1913, he was appointed during the Great War colonel of the 42nd Rainbow Division, distinguished with the Service Cross twice, awarded Silver star seven times for his military leadership. Following the war, Douglas Mac Arthur returned from Europe with distinctions for his bravery and leadership as a military officer, he soon became a brigadier general and served as a superintendant of the United Sates Military academy at West Point (1919-1924), where he was then named as the yougnest major general in the army. One interesting chapter in his life, besides his military career, is the involvement of General Douglas Mac Arthur in the support of the Amrican Olympic Committee during the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam. In 1927, the president of AOC died suddely and Douglas Mac Arthur was called to prepare the US team of atheletes. As a charismatic figure, the US team for the Summer Olympic games in 1928 under his leadership over performed over other countries, leaving Amsterdam with seven world records and twice as many medals as other countries participating in the Olympics. Leading his team during the competition, he was remembered for these famous words in difficult moments, in which he said, 'Americans don't quit'. After the Great Depression of 1929, a period in which nearly half of the industrial workers lost their jobs in the United States, General Douglas Mac Arthur went back to military service when President Theodore Roosevelt to develop in the Philippines a defensive for the islands in 1935. Only two years later, in 1937 he retired from the Army but it would not last long before the eve of World War II with the heighteining of the crisis Europe and sudden attack on Pearl Harbour, which involved the united Stated allong the Allied Forces in the world conflict. Genral Mac Arthur thenwas recalled upon duty in July 1941 as lieutenant genral and commander of the United States forces in the Far East, again called to defend the Philippines agains Japenese invasion in December 1941. Forced to withdraw to Australia to command the pacific operations, he then built up his legend by beginning a long campaign to win over the Japenese military power in the pacific during World War II. Mac Arthur's forces won major battles and slowly gain the confidence of President Roosevelt to prepare the invasion again of the Philippines in 1944 to insure the victory in the Pacific. With the end of World war II, he was appointed supreme commander of South West Pacific, commander in chief US Army Forces Pacific (AFPAC), then became supreme commander of Allied Forces in Japan, he signed the Japenese surrender at Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945, aboard the USS Missouri battleship, thus ending the war in the Pacific. For his role as a strategist the US Navy awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal to him. After this very important period of his military career, from 1945 until 1948, his role was crucial in the post war era, especially in his way of treating the case and special role of the Emperor Hiro Hito, as he declared in his speech to Congress on 19 April 1951. 'The Japonese people since the war have undergone the greatest reformation recorded in modern history. With a commandable will, eagerness to learn they have from the ashes of the war's wakr erected erected in japan an edifice of dedicated to the Supremacy of individual liberty and personal dignity, and in the ensuing process there has been created a truly representative goverment comitted to the advance of political morality, freedom and economic entreprise, and social justice' General Mac Arthur was instrumental in restoring confidence in Japan's economy and advanced political reforms while also restoring civil liberties. Being given the nickname 'Big Chief ', he underwent all great reforms that lead japan to its recovery after the war by ensuring a process of a truly representative goverment committed to freedom of economic's power and enterprise. General Douglas Mac Arthur handed over power to the Japonese goverment in 1949, but remained in Japan long after until he was finally relieved by President Harry S. Truman on 11 April 1951, the San Franciso Peace Treaty then signed on September 1951, marked the end of Allied occupation, Japan became once again independant state. The return of General Mac Arthur to the United States after being relieved from his duty by the President was largely supported by millions of Americans, even after his death in 1964, he was awarded a nick name by the Japonese the nickname of 'Gaijn Shogun'( foreign military ruler). His words will always be remembered while he made his last speech on April 19, 1951, his last official appearance in a farewell address to the U.S. Congress presenting and defending his side of his disagreement with President Truman over the conduct of the War in South Korea : I am closing my 52 years of military service. When I joined the Army, even before the turn of the century, it was the fulfillment of all of my boyish hopes and dreams. The world has turned over many times since I took the oath on the plain at West Point, and the hopes and dreams have long since vanished, but I still remember the refrain of one of the most popular barrack ballads of that day which proclaimed most proudly that "old soldiers never die; they just fade away." General Mac Arthur then rereated to a life out of the public eye, he died on 5 April 1964 and was given a national funeral with all respecty due to his military career and all accomplishment for the United States of America. A Museum is now dedicated to his memory The Mac Arthur Memorial in Norfolk Virginia. The provenance of this present historical Reverso by Jaeger coming directly from direct descendants of General Mac Arthur and bearing his initial with enamel Art Deco engraving on the back 'D Mac A' is a real testimony of his exceptional life and military career and also as an historical figure which will be remembered as one of the American heroes of World War II in the Pacific, as we commemorate this year 70th anniversary of end of the conflict.