Something of a reading recommendation for Catch 22 which is 50 years old this year.
26 October 2011 Last updated at 20:00 ET
Catch-22: Is the novel still relevant to modern soldiers?
By Virginia Brown BBC News Magazine
The classic novel that coined the term describing impossible situations is celebrating its 50th birthday. So how close does Catch-22 come to accurately portraying today's military?
Most people will have uttered a remark about being caught between a rock and a hard place, in a Catch-22 situation. A no-win dilemma where you're damned if you do and damned if you don't.
But fewer people will have read the 1961 novel of the same name that propelled the phrase into the English language.
Catch-22 was published 50 years ago. Written by Joseph Heller, it describes the wartime experiences of B-25 bombardier, Captain John Yossarian. Heller himself had served as a US Air Force bombardier in World War II.
He drags us through the muck and absurdity of a droll group of WWII airmen stationed on a small island off the coast of Tuscany - taking in the dark and brutal nature of war. In it hero Yossarian takes drastic measures to avoid flying an ever-increasingly required number of dangerous missions.
Captain John Yossarian is the protagonist and hero. He is a bombardier in the 256th Squadron of the Army Air Corps during World War II, responsible for sighting and releasing bombs. All he really wants to do is go home.
Milo Minderbinder is the mess officer who runs a global black-market syndicate. He pursues profit unscrupulously, going so far as to bomb his own men as part of a contract.
Major Major Major Major was born Major Major Major and is unjustly promoted to major. He is uncomfortable with his new role and lonely because it keeps him at a distance from the other men.
Colonel Cathcart, who keeps increasing the number of missions the men have to fly to complete a tour of duty, is the bane of Yossarian's life. He's obsessed with promotion and will do anything to please his superiors.
General Dreedle is the typical no-nonsense military man, who is exceedingly demanding of his soldiers. His arch-rival General Peckem wants to take his place in Pianosa.
Doc Daneeka is disgruntled that he was drafted and is missing out on a lucrative medical career. "Why me?" is his attitude towards war.
The only way to avoid such deadly assignments was to plead insanity,
more here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15446588