10 U.S.C. § 502 — Enlistment oath: who may administer
submitted 70 years ago by ch. 1041 to r/title-10-ARMED-FORCES · 124 words · no verdicts yet
This law sets the oath every new member of the armed forces must swear when enlisting. It also says who can give that oath: the President, Vice President, Secretary of Defense, any commissioned officer, or someone else picked under Defense Department rules.
(a) Enlistment Oath. Every person joining an armed force must swear or affirm this oath: that they will support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that they will stay loyal to it; and that they will obey the President's orders and the orders of officers appointed over them, following military regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The oath ends "So help me God."
(b) Who May Administer. The oath can be given by the President, the Vice President, the Secretary of Defense, any commissioned officer*, or anyone else the Secretary of Defense designates by regulation.
Each person enlisting in an armed force shall take the following oath:
“I, __________, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”
The oath may be taken before the President, the Vice-President, the Secretary of Defense, any commissioned officer*, or any other person designated under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense.
Source credit: (Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, 70A Stat. 17, § 501; Pub. L. 87–751, § 1, Oct. 5, 1962, 76 Stat. 748; renumbered § 502, Pub. L. 90–235, § 2(a)(1)(A), Jan. 2, 1968, 81 Stat. 753; Pub. L. 101–189, div. A, title VI, § 653(a)(1), Nov. 29, 1989, 103 Stat. 1462; Pub. L. 109–364, div. A, title V, § 595(a), Oct. 17, 2006, 120 Stat. 2235.)
- 1956Enacted · Act of Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041
- 1962Amended · Pub. L. 87-751 · 76 Stat. 748
- 1968Amended · Pub. L. 90-235 · 81 Stat. 753
- 1989Amended · Pub. L. 101-189 · 103 Stat. 1462
- 2006Amended · Pub. L. 109-364 · 120 Stat. 2235
A history note hasn’t been published yet. The record shows enactment by ch. 1041 on 1956-08-10.
all 0 arguments · sorted by: best
no arguments yet — make the first case