The first time I heard the last name Snowden is not on the news, concerning the plight of Traitor/American Hero Edward Snowden. It may have not been the first you heard it either.
I recently read Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. However, you may have read it in high school or college.
It is revealed in fragments throughout the course of the novel that Snowden was a gunner that died in Yossarian’s arms, his guts pouring out of his carcass, having been shredded by flak. It is revealed that this experience was the motivation behind Yossarian losing his courage to continue fighting the war.
At any rate, this quote seemed apropos:
“Man was matter, that was Snowden’s secret. Drop him out a window, and he’ll fall. Set fire to him and he’ll burn. Bury him and he’ll rot, like other kinds of garbage. The spirit gone, man is garbage. That was Snowden’s secret. Ripeness was all.”
– Joseph Heller, Catch-22