Ralph Goldsticker volunteers every Tuesday in the Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital main lobby, directing patients and visitors to various locations in the hospital.
Many people likely don’t know that the 94-year-old volunteer guiding them is a well-decorated veteran who directed a B-17 to bombing targets during World War II.
Goldsticker received his most recent honor, the medal of the French Legion of Honor, on May 22, 2015, at the French Embassy in Washington D.C. He also has received the Distinguished Flying Cross, five Air medals and a medal from the Russian government.
Goldsticker joined the Army Air Corps as a 20 year old in 1942. He flew 35 missions over Europe as a 1st Lieutenant of the Army's 8th Air Force and a bombardier in a B-17 nicknamed “Deuces Wild.” Those missions included two flights on D-Day, June 6, 1944.
After World War II, Goldsticker was promoted to captain in the Army Reserves during the Korean War. He lived in Clayton, Mo., with his wife, Helen, and three sons. He worked into his 70s as a sales representative for a children’s clothing company. He and Helen volunteered at the former Jewish Hospital for seven years, and then at the Siteman Cancer Center for four years. Helen died in 2012.
Goldsticker has volunteered at Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital for almost three years, delivering newspapers to patients and serving as a greeter in the main lobby. “I enjoy meeting people, and I enjoy the nurses, staff and other volunteers at Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital,” he says.