Francis Yohannan; Inspiration for Yossarian in ‘Catch-22’

Francis Yohannan, a World War II aviator who was an inspiration for the protagonist of Joseph Heller’s darkly comic novel “Catch-22,” has died at the age of 79.

Yohannan, who became friends with Heller when they were bombardiers stationed on Corsica in 1944, died March 17 of complications from a stroke.

The title of Heller’s 1961 novel referred to the near-impossibility of being excused from dangerous bombing runs. A flier could be grounded by being declared insane, but being afraid of such danger was considered virtual proof of sanity.

In an interview for USA Today in 1998, Heller said it was from Yohannan that he “derived the unconventional name for the heretical Yossarian.”

Many others who served with Heller, who died in December 1999, were upset about the novel, but to Yohannan “it was all tongue-in-cheek,” said his son, Lance Yohannan of Paradise, Mont.

He turned aside questions from reporters who asked if he was the real-life Yossarian. “He was a very humble man,” his son said. “He would never bring up ‘Catch-22’ by himself or talk much about the war.”

Yohannan retired from the Air Force in 1974 as a lieutenant colonel after more than 9,000 hours in B-25s, B-36 bombers during the 1950s, B-52s during the 1950s and ‘60s, and Phantom fighters during the Vietnam War.

In addition to his son, Yohannan is survived by his wife, Kathleen Hansen, and a daughter.