Private Joe Caputo was a character who appears in the Season 9 episode of the CBS-TV series M*A*S*H titled "Bless You, Hawkeye". The part of Private Caputo was played by actor Barry Schwartz.
About Private Caputo[]
In an unusual billing, not only is the rank of Private Caputo given in the credits but his first name "Joe" as well, even though the name "Joe" is not used in the episode at all.
Caputo is an American G.I. who arrives at the 4077th MASH in the middle of the night soaking wet after having fallen into a ditch of moldy water. He suffered minor injuries, a fractured wrist, some lacerations and prolonged exposure. He was treated by Hawkeye and was monitored for signs of pneumonia but did not develop any complications.
However Hawkeye soon develops an uncontrollable sneezing fit. When Sidney Freedman arrives to look at Hawkeye, he goes through the belonging to the patients Hawkeye had treated in order to look for clues to the cause of Hawkeye's condition. Sidney discovers that Caputo's uniform had been discarded. Father Mulcahy, who takes charge of the patient's belongings explains that this was because the uniform had been soaked in moldy water and was past laundering. However Hawkeye had been tested for allergy to mold and did not react.
Sidney later deduces that it was the smell of Caputo's uniform, "like a wet burlap sack' as Hawkeye put it, which brought back unpleasant memories for Hawkeye and triggered the sneezing fit.