John Bjerre met dozens of soldiers on flights to and from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia during the Desert Shield/Desert Storm operations.
Often, he'd engage them in conversation, learn where they grew up, why they joined the military, and their concerns about the U.S.-led mission that took place in the early 1990s.
The flights were generated by Eastern Airlines, his employer for 20 years, and on them he volunteered to oversee "load matter." That meant he had to ensure the weight and balance of the aircraft met specifications and that it was properly loaded and unloaded.
For his efforts, he received the civilian Desert Shield/Desert Storm medal for outstanding achievement.
"He would come back with stories about some soldier he met on a flight who had an impact on his life or who he tried to have an impact on," said Nancy Bjerre, his wife of 24 years. "He wasn't always flying, but he was gone a good bit. I thought what he was doing was good, and he enjoyed it."
In 2009, he was diagnosed with hepatitis C, which caused him to contract liver cancer.
John Robert Bjerre died Saturday of complications from the disease at his Mableton home. He was 60. A memorial will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday in the Oglethorpe Hill chapel of H.M. Patterson & Son, which is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Bjerre held various positions at Eastern Airlines until the company's demise in late 1991. He spent time as an agent or supervisor in New Jersey, Sarasota and Atlanta.
After Eastern folded, the New Jersey native worked as an Atlanta-based analyst for SITA Inc., a global firm that specializes in air transport communications and information technology. He traveled the world training airline employees.
Mike Annunziata, a retired Eastern pilot in West Palm Beach, Fla., lived next door to Mr. Bjerre in Mableton. The men shared an interest in Harleys and often rode together.
Eastern employees, Mr. Annunziata said, could opt out of military flights to the Middle East during the Gulf War; Mr. Bjerre chose not to.
"There were those of us who were of the Vietnam Era and who believed that those soldiers got a pretty raw deal," Mr. Annunziata said. "So we tried to do whatever we could do to help out, and this was John's way of doing that."
Additional survivors include a son, Matthew Bjerre of Daytona Beach, Fla.; two stepsons, Michael Moore Jr. of Douglasville and John Moore of Atlanta; a stepdaughter, Mary Moore of Atlanta; and two stepgrandchildren.
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