Title 10 — Armed ForcesRelease 119-73not60
§1483 Prisoners of War and Interned Enemy Aliens
Title 10 › Subtitle Subtitle A— General Military Law › Part II— PERSONNEL › Chapter 75— DECEASED PERSONNEL › Subchapter II— DEATH BENEFITS › § 1483
Summary
The Secretary in charge may arrange and pay to care for and handle the bodies of prisoners of war and interned enemy aliens who die while in custody. This can include paying to notify the next of kin or other proper person, prepare the body (including cremation), provide clothing and a casket or urn with an outer box, move the remains to a cemetery or other place the Secretary picks, and bury them.
Full Legal Text
Title 10, §1483
Armed Forces — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
The Secretary concerned may provide for the care and disposition of the remains of prisoners of war and interned enemy aliens who die while in his custody and, incident thereto, pay the necessary expenses of— (1)
(2)preparation of the remains for burial, including cremation;
(3)furnishing of clothing;
(4)furnishing of a casket or urn, or both, with outside box;
(5)transportation of the remains to the cemetery or other place selected by the Secretary; and
(6)interment of the remains.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Revised sectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 14835:2155 (as applicable to armed forces).July 15, 1954, ch. 507, § 5 (as applicable to armed forces), 68 Stat. 479. The list of payable expenses has been rearranged to produce a generally chronological result. The words “incurred for”, and the words “articles of” in clause (3), are omitted as surplusage. In clause (5), the words “cemetery or other place” are substituted for the words “town, city, or cemetery”.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
10 U.S.C. § 1483
Title 10 — Armed Forces
Last Updated
Apr 3, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60