Herb Tollefson in the cockpit of McChord Field’s C-124 in 2006. Photo provided by Steve Tollefson.

An American veteran deployed to Malta to repair aircraft during World War II has passed away aged 98, a couple of months after his uniform was put on display at the war museum in Fort St Elmo.

Herb Tollefson passed away at his home in Tacoma, Washington, last Tuesday – more than three years after he came to Malta looking for friends he made in 1943.

In December 2013, he made an appeal via the Times of Malta, which led to the war veteran meeting the son of his wartime buddy and late police sergeant, John Mifsud. Since John Mifsud Jr also lives in the US, the two flew to Malta the following July.

It was then that Mr Tollefson donated his US Army Air Corps uniform, which still fit him.

During that same trip, Mr Tollefson met relatives of a family – called Borg – that he was also looking for. The family, who used to serve food at the Melita Bar at the Ferries in Sliema, hosted him in 1943 as one of 14 mechanics.

During the war, Mr Tollefson also served in Sicily and Deversoir, Egypt, all along keeping a photo of his future wife in his cap.

The photo of Eve Davis was found 70 years later, when the sergeant’s visor cap was being restored for the National War Museum in Valletta.

The national collection did not have an original World War II American army uniform before Herb Tollefson donated his

Curator Charles Debono told this newspaper yesterday that the uniform had been put on display around two to three months ago in the World War II 1943-45 section.

The national collection did not have an original World War II American army uniform before Mr Tollefson donated his, and it nowadays forms part of an exhibit about Operation Husky.

Mr Tollefson was deployed to the island to repair aircraft that were flying from North Africa to Sicily or Italy.

Born in June of 1918, Mr Tollefson passed away at his home, with his family by his side as he had always wanted.

The family is now planning a full military memorial service at the Veterans’ Cemetery at Covington, Washington, just outside Seattle, later this year.