Joseph Heller was born May 1, 1923 in Brooklyn, New York. He flew 60 combat missions as a bombardier in World War II before finishing his studies at Columbia and Oxford and working as an advertising copywriter. His satirical novel Catch-22 (1961), based on his wartime experiences, was one of the most significant works of postwar protest literature and a huge critical and popular success.

(http://www.biography.com/people/joseph-heller-9334279#awesm=~oFGOYWzNGG9edc)