Ex-PFC Wintergreen

Ex-Private First Class Wintergreen is a character from Joseph Heller's classic novel, Catch-22.

He is an "ex-P.F.C." because of his constant urge to go AWOL and his constantly getting caught and demoted, at one point reaching the rank of ex-sergeant, he has hopes of one day attaining the rank of ex-General. Every time he went AWOL he would be caught and sentenced to dig and fill holes six feet deep and across in Colorado. He accepts this job, knowing that it's better than being deported abroad, and proclaims that he wishes everyone works as hard as he does for the war effort. Ex-P.F.C. Wintergreen wields a great deal of power in the novel, being responsible for mail distribution. By forging documents and destroying mail, he becomes more powerful than the generals:

Wintergreen determined the outcome by throwing all communications from General Peckem into the waste-basket. He found them too prolix...General Dreedle was victorious by default.

He also competes with Milo's syndicate by selling, among other supplies, stolen Zippo lighters for a penny less. Milo and Wintergreen form a partnership at the end of the book.

In the sequel to Catch-22, Closing Time, Wintergreen is a major character, and it is revealed that his name is Eugene, called Gene for short. This is in keeping with Heller's penchant for rhyming and alliterative names.

v • d • e Catch-22

Catch-22	Catch-22 • sequel Closing Time • author Joseph Heller • Catch-22 (film) • Catch 22 (play) • Catch-22 (logic)

Named characters	Yossarian • Aarfy • Appleby • Captain Black • The Chaplain • Colonel Cargill • Colonel Cathcart • Clevinger • Nurse Cramer • Major Danby • Doc Daneeka • Major —— de Coverley • General Dreedle • Dobbs • Nurse Duckett • Dunbar • Dori Duz • Lieutenant Engle • Captain Flume • Gus & Wes • Havermeyer • Huple • Hungry Joe • Kid Sampson • Sergeant Knight • Corporal Kolodny • Colonel Korn • Kraft • Luciana • Major Major Major Major • McWatt • Michaela • Milo Minderbinder • Colonel Moodus • Mudd (aka the Dead Man in Yossarian's tent) • Nately • Orr • General Peckem • Piltchard & Wren • Major Sanderson • Lieutenant/General Scheisskopf • Mrs Scheisskopf • Corporal Snark • Snowden • The Soldier Who Sees Everything Twice (aka Giuseppe) • Dr. Stubbs • Sergeant Towser • Lieutenant Travers • Corporal Whitcomb • Chief White Halfoat • ex-P.F.C. Wintergreen

Unnamed characters	The C.I.D. Investigators • Dreedle's girl • The Maid with the lime-colored panties • Nately's Whore • Nately's Whore's Kid Sister • The Old Woman in Rome • The Old Man in Rome • The Soldier in white • The Texan • Yo-Yo's Roomies

Important locations	Pianosa • Rome • Ferrara • Bologna

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Ex-PFC Wintergreen