The life and legacy of 2nd Lt. Ewell Ross McCright proves that even in the worst of circumstances, there is still hope; and that in honoring the lives of others, we can often save our own.

2nd Lt. Ewell Ross McCright was a bombardier with the 303rd Bomb Group, and he was shot down on January 23, 1943 on the aircraft, Beats Me. Seven of his crewmates were killed in action. 2nd Lt. McCright was injured and received the Purple Heart. 

McCright was really struggling with this, and some bad news from home, and he had lost the will to live. His commanding officer, Lt. Col. Albert Patton (A.P.) “Bub” Clark got word of this and suggested that McCright start keeping a log on his fellow POWs as a way to keep his mind busy.

What began as a small journal log soon grew into four full journals with the stories of 2,194 of McCright’s fellow POWs in South Compound, as well as a written account of German atrocities. This book, later called Behind the Wire, became more than a priceless collection of history; it became a lifeline for the man who wrote it. It was later transcribed and published by Arnold Wright. After publication, the details in Behind the Wire helped 14 of McCright's fellow POWs earn Purple Hearts that they were previously denied. 

Through the pages of the story, McCright found a renewed sense of purpose and the will to live again. McCright managed to hide these ledgers under the floorboards of the barracks, and he even took them with him in place of food on the forced march to Moosburg. Had the ledgers been found, he would have been severely punished and executed. We have him to thank for preserving so much history and the personal stories of the POWs in the South Compound of Stalag Luft 3.