Throughout the years, retired Air Force Staff Sgt. Herb Tollefson hasn't quit being a mechanic. At the age of 94, the Tacoma resident still fixes his tractors and lawnmowers when they break down and doodles in the old red barn that sits on a huge backyard filled with farm relics and antique military vehicles.

During World War II, he served as a mechanic repairing planes flown by the 12th Bombardment Group. The group, which was formed at McChord Field in 1941, held a reunion last month at the base.

Tollefson helped repair bomber planes for about three years while overseas in North Africa. He was also part of the Army Air Force's 26th Air Depot Group Malta Detachment, a group of Air Force mechanics sent to provide emergency repair to combat damaged aircraft at Luqa Field on the island of Malta, 60 miles away from the well-fortified Nazi regime.

Tollefson said the special mission to Malta was a highlight of his career.

"I'm pretty damn proud of that," he said. "Because we were making progress returning battle-damaged airplanes."

In his eyes, the Malta mission was a success.

"We returned more than 50 airplanes that were then valued at $269,000 per plane when our country wasn't producing them fast enough because the enemy was shooting them out of the sky," Tollefson said.

About 300 mechanics were stationed at DeVersoir, Egypt along the Suiz Canal during his oversea tours. In Malta, a rotating number of about 50 constantly replaced engines behind enemy lines.

"When an airplane landed, we'd run and see if they had casualties," he said. "Most of the time they had casualties. Living conditions in Malta were rough. Pictures of his trip were scrapped together showing Tollefson and his team sleeping outside with mosquito nets. They showered in barrels, and the food was far from tasty. Tollefson later caught malaria and was hospitalized.

But it didn't matter. They were 15 well-coordinated Servicemembers who repaired warplanes at an emergency land field under austere conditions.

"The enemy was 60 miles away," he said. "We depended on each other."

In 1943, one particular plane the Malta crew repaired was a B-24 that had been shot up while conducting a bombing mission in Europe. It ran out of fuel and could not reach Malta. The British informed the team by radio to see if they could repair the plane.

The assignment was later dubbed the "Melon Patch Special" because the crew repaired the bomber in a someone's back pasture.

"That's not easy to do," Tollefson said. "The melon patch plane was repaired and refitted as a combat aircraft again. I felt I was a good mechanic all around."

In addition to his years on active-duty, Tollefson also spent 30 years as a McChord Museum volunteer.

A quick glance at Tollefson's backyard tells you everything you need to know about him. Standing in front of eight acres (it used to be a farm and is now undeveloped property bigger than the size of an NFL football field) is a large red barn, antique farm tools, tractors and a pair of trucks that once housed transport airplane parts.

"I'm still busy repairing things," he said. "My tractor breaks down. My lawnmower breaks down and I fix them. I'm supposed to be a mechanic."