Three pilots of the 409th Bombardment Squadron, 93rd Bombardment Group: (Left to right) Flight Officer Charles S. "Five By Five" Young, from Dayton, TX; Captain Jacob B. "Jake" Epting, from Tupelo, MS; and First Lieutenant Joseph Avendano, Jr, from Pomona, CA. Both Young and Avendano had prior flying service with the Royal Canadian Air Force before the U.S. entered the war, and both were later killed in non-combat related flight accidents before the end of the war. All three flew in the Ploesti raid over Romania on Aug 1st, 1943, Epting (as co-pilot) and Young (as extra co-pilot/gunner) in "Tupelo Lass," and Avendano (as pilot) in "Dogpatch Raider." Epting was the usual pilot of "Tupelo Lass," which he named, but on the Ploesti raid his squadron commander, Major K.O. "Kayo" Dessert, assigned himself to the left seat in the "Lass."

Three pilots of the 409th Bombardment Squadron, 93rd Bombardment Group: (Left to right) Flight Officer Charles S. "Five By Five" Young, from Dayton, TX; Captain Jacob B. "Jake" Epting, from Tupelo, MS; and First Lieutenant Joseph Avendano, Jr, from Pomona, CA. Both Young and Avendano had prior flying service with the Royal Canadian Air Force before the U.S. entered the war, and both were later killed in non-combat related flight accidents before the end of the war. All three flew in the Ploesti raid over Romania on Aug 1st, 1943, Epting (as co-pilot) and Young (as extra co-pilot/gunner) in "Tupelo Lass," and Avendano (as pilot) in "Dogpatch Raider." Epting was the usual pilot of "Tupelo Lass," which he named, but on the Ploesti raid his squadron commander, Major K.O. "Kayo" Dessert, assigned himself to the left seat in the "Lass."