Doc Daneeka's Bureaucratic Death
Catch-22Doc Daneeka is declared dead after being listed on McWatt's fatal flight, though he is alive.
increasing
Bearing strength in each event
decreasing
Bearing strength in each eventdecreasingListed on the manifest
The Error
The Flight
Doc Daneeka's name is on McWatt's flight manifest to collect flight pay. He is not actually on the plane. McWatt crashes into a mountain.
The Report
Sergeant Towser reports Doc Daneeka as dead. The War Department notifies his wife. Doc Daneeka is officially dead.
The Confusion
Doc Daneeka tries to prove he is alive. No one believes him. He is ostracized. He cannot draw pay or rations.
The widow's fortune
The Benefits
The Insurance
Mrs. Daneeka receives $10,000 in GI insurance, plus pension benefits, burial allowances, and life insurance payouts. She becomes wealthy.
The Letter
Doc Daneeka writes to her, but she receives a condolence letter from Colonel Cathcart. She moves away, leaving no forwarding address.
The Irony
Doc Daneeka is dead to the world. His wife is better off without him. He is trapped in a bureaucratic limbo.
Living as a ghost
The Afterlife
The Ostracism
Doc Daneeka is shunned. He cannot practice medicine. He lives on charity. He is a ghost in the squadron.
The Attempts
He tries to see Colonel Cathcart, but is refused. He tries to get help from the chaplain, but fails. He is powerless.
The End
Doc Daneeka remains dead on paper. His fate is a satire of bureaucracy. He is a victim of the system he served.
When McWatt takes off on the training flight
After Mrs. Daneeka receives the news
After the declaration, until the end
