The officer's Type M1940 service uniform was adopted by the United States Army during the service's rapid expansion prior America's entry into World War II. Popularly known as the "pinks and greens," this uniform remained standard issue until the passage of the National Security Act of 1947 that created the Department of Defense. The uniform continued to be worn in the aftermath of the Act but officially became obsolete after July 1948.

This uniform coat was worn by General Ira Clarence Eaker (1896 – 1987). Eaker commanded the United States Army Air Forces Eighth Air Force from December 1942 to December 1943. He was a strong advocate of daylight precision bombing of Germany. During that formidable first year of the bomber offensive, American units suffered heavy casualties particularly during the raid on the ball baring factories located at Schweinfurt and Regensburg. Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, replaced Eaker with Lt. Gen. Jimmy Doolittle and he was then assigned to command all of the Allied air forces in the Mediterranean Theater.

On April 30, 1945, General Eaker was named deputy commander of the Army Air Forces and chief of the Air Staff and retired on August 31, 1947. Following his retirement, he was promoted to lieutenant general in the newly established United States Air Force in June 1948.