Fri Aug 16 2002 at 14:05:05
The phrase “Where are the Snowdens of Yesteryear?” was used by the character Yossarian in Joseph Heller’s World War II masterpiece, Catch-22.
In Catch-22, Snowden was a tail gunner in Yossarian’s bomber. Snowden died in Yossarian’s arms, flying only his first combat mission. In a farcical scene, cries of agony echo across the intercom and no one is quite sure who has been hit. At one point it’s believed to be Yossarian, the bombadier, who later crawls to the rear of the plane and cradles Snowden in his arms during the gunner’s dying moments.