Joseph Heller coined the phrase to describe a military rule that contradicts itself, trapping pilots in a cycle where asking for leave proves they are sane enough to keep flying.

Unlike traditional war heroes, Yossarian views anyone who puts his life in danger as the enemy, including his own commanding officers who continuously raise the required mission count.

The title was changed right before publication to avoid confusion with Leon Uris's newly released and highly successful World War II novel, Mila 18.

The character was named Major Major Major as a cruel joke by his father, and a military IBM machine with a "sense of humor" automatically promoted him to Major to match his name.