If you notice the guy in the middle, he's wearing an officer's jacket with S/Sgt. stripes sewn on. Also note the officer's gabardine cap with enlisted device. The caption says that he bought them in the States anticipating they'd give him a commission when they got to the Middle East, but no such luck. He took it upon himself to sew them on in defiance (and possibly protest) of regulations. There were a lot of Sgt. pilots in the 316th Troop Carrier Group that flew C-47's and gliders as enlisted pilots.
