Special Orders Regarding Technicians 
5. (a) Technicians are not entitled to the 
benefits provided by laws enacted exclu¬ 
sively for persons in the military or naval 
service. (See paragraph 30 concerning 
benefits under Public Law 784—77th Con¬ 
gress ). They are subj ect to the provisions 
of the Selective Service and Training Act 
of 1940, as amended, and regulations pre¬ 
scribed thereunder. 
(b) Technicians will not exercise com¬ 
mand, be placed in a position of authority 
over naval personnel, nor will they be 
armed. They are under the same restric¬ 
tions as naval personnel as regards the 
settlement of accounts and compliance with 
regulations and orders, and should con¬ 
duct themselves with dignity and decorum. 
(c) A Technician will ordinarily be¬ 
come subject to the Articles for the Govern¬ 
ment of the Navy from the time the vessel 
or other means of government transporta¬ 
tion is outside the Continental limits of the 
United States. 
Noncombatant Status 
6. (a) The status of a Technician is that 
of a noncombatant. In the event of cap¬ 
ture by the enemy, and if he is in possession 
of a certificate from the proper authority, 
he is entitled to be treated as a lawful bel¬ 
ligerent according to the laws and usages 
of war, under the terms of the Genev a 
Conference of July 27, 1929 (Treaty Se¬ 
ries, No. 846), Title VII, Article 81, which 
states: 
“Individuals who follow armed forces without 
directly belonging thereto, such as newspaper 
correspondents and reporters, sutlers contractors, 
who fall into the enemy’s hands and whom the 
latter thinks expedient to detain, shall be en¬ 
titled to be treated as prisoners of war, provided 
they are in possession of a certificate from the 
military authorities of the armed forces which 
they were accompanying.” 
(b) Each Technician will be especially 
cautioned that by international rules of 
warfare he is required to give only his 
name and naval status and that he will, 
under no circumstances, furnish the enemy 
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