text: Army Health System and the Effects of the Law of Land Warfare and Medical Ethics
  employment, should the need arise, as hospital orderlies, nurses or auxiliary stretcher-bearers, in the search
  for or the collection, transport or treatment of the wounded and sick . . . if they are carrying out these duties
  at the time when they come into contact with the enemy or fall into his hands [emphasis added].”
  PROTECTION
  3-17. There are two separate and distinct forms of protection.
  * The first is protection from intentional attack if medical personnel are identifiable as such by an
  enemy in a combat environment. Normally, this is facilitated by medical personnel wearing an
  armband bearing the distinctive emblem (a Red Cross or Red Crescent on a white background),
  or by their employment in a medical unit, establishment, or vehicle (including medical aircraft and
  hospital ships) that displays the distinctive emblem. Persons protected by Article 25 may wear an
  armband bearing a miniature distinctive emblem only while executing medical duties.
  * The second protection provided by the GWS pertains to medical personnel who fall into the hands
  of the enemy. Article 24 personnel are entitled to “retained person” status. They are not deemed
  to be POWs, but otherwise benefit from the protections of the GPW. Article 28 of the GWS states
  they are authorized to carry out medical duties only, and “. . . shall be retained only in so far as
  the state of health . . . and the number of POWs require.” Article 25 personnel are POWs, but
  shall be employed to perform medical duties in so far as the need arises. They may be required to
  perform other duties or labor, and they may be held until a general repatriation of POWs is
  accomplished upon the cessation of hostilities.
  SPECIFIC CASES
  3-18. Army Medicine personnel and non-Army Medicine personnel assigned to medical units fall into the
  category identified in Article 24 provided they meet the exclusively engaged criteria of that article. The
  United States Army does not have any personnel who officially fall into the category identified in Article 25.
  While it is not a violation of the GWS for Article 24 personnel to perform nonmedical duties, it should be
  understood; however, that Article 24 personnel lose their protected status under that article if they perform
  duties or tasks inconsistent with their noncombatant role. Should those personnel later take up their medical
  duties again, a reasonable argument might be made that they cannot regain Article 24 status since they have
  not been exclusively engaged in medical duties and that such switching of roles might at best cause such
  personnel to fall under the category identified in Article 25.
  * While only Article 25 refers to nurses, nurses are Article 24 personnel if they meet the criteria of
  that article.
  * The AHS officers and NCOs assigned to nonmedical positions in a brigade support battalion or a
  sustainment brigade are neither Article 24 nor Article 25 personnel. Such assignments place them
  in the role of a combatant. Examples of such personnel are—
   The AHS officers serving as commanders of brigade support battalions with responsibility
  for base or base-cluster defense, as well as command and control of medical and nonmedical
  units.
   The AHS officers and NCOs assigned to nonmedical staff positions with a brigade support
  battalion with responsibility for planning and supervising the sustainment support for a BCT
  or other combat unit.
  * Article 24 personnel who might become Article 25 personnel by virtue of their switching roles
  could include the following:
   A medical company commander, a physician, or the executive officer (a Medical Service
  Corps officer) detailed as convoy march unit commander with responsibility for medical and
  nonmedical unit routes of march, convoy control, defense, and repulsing attacks.
   Helicopter pilots, who are permanently assigned to a dedicated air ambulance unit, but fly
  helicopters not bearing the Red Cross emblem on standard combat missions during other
  times.
  * The GWS does not itself prohibit the use of Article 24 personnel in perimeter defense of
  nonmedical units such as areas or base clusters under overall security defense plans, but the policy