Title 10 — Armed ForcesRelease 119-73
§9217 Duties: chaplains; assistance required of commanding officers
Title 10 › Subtitle Subtitle D— - Air Force and Space Force › Part PART II— - PERSONNEL › Chapter CHAPTER 923— - SPECIAL APPOINTMENTS, ASSIGNMENTS, DETAILS, AND DUTIES › § 9217
Summary
Chaplains must hold at least one Sunday service when possible and provide religious burials for Air or Space Force members who die there; commanders must supply facilities and needed transportation.
Full Legal Text
Title 10, §9217
Armed Forces — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)Each chaplain shall, when practicable, hold appropriate religious services at least once on each Sunday for the command to which he is assigned, and shall perform appropriate religious burial services for members of the Air Force or the Space Force who die while in that command.
(b)Each commanding officer shall furnish facilities, including necessary transportation, to any chaplain assigned to his command, to assist the chaplain in performing his duties.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Revised sectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 8547(a)10:238.R.S. 1125. 8547(b)10:239.R.S. 1127. [Uncodified: Feb. 2, 1901, ch. 192, § 12 (last sentence), 31 Stat. 750].Feb. 2, 1901, ch. 192, § 12 (last sentence), 31 Stat. 750. In subsection (a), the words “members of the Air Force” are substituted for the words “officers and soldiers”. In subsection (b), the words “regiments, hospitals, and posts”, in 10:239, are omitted, since at the time of the enactment of section 1127 of the Revised Statutes, chaplains were authorized only for regiments, hospitals, and posts. The revised section preserves the broad coverage of the original statute. The words “each commanding officer shall” are substituted for the words “It shall be the duty of commanders”, in 10:239. The word “furnish” is substituted for the words “to afford”, in 10:239. The words “including necessary transportation” are substituted for the last sentence of section 12 of the Act of February 2, 1901, ch. 192, 31 Stat. 750. The words “his command” are substituted for the words “the same”, in 10:239. The words “to assist” are substituted for the words “as may aid them”, in 10:239.
Editorial Notes
Amendments
2021—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 116–283 inserted “or the Space Force” after “the Air Force”. 2018—Pub. L. 115–232 renumbered section 8547 of this title as this section.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 2018 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 115–232 effective Feb. 1, 2019, with provision for the coordination of
Amendments
and special rule for certain redesignations, see section 800 of Pub. L. 115–232, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
10 U.S.C. § 9217
Title 10 — Armed Forces
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73