Staff Sergeant Matthew Franks, a combat engineer assigned to 3-364th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 189th Infantry Division, prepares to disassemble a weapon during the 2022 First Army Division West Best Warrior Competition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington March 15, 2022. (Credit: Staff Sergeant Scott Evans)
In Memoriam
Timothy D. Litka (1971-2022)
By Fred L. Borch
Lieutenant Colonel Timothy David Litka died on 19 November 2022. He was fifty-one years old and, at the time of his death, was serving as the legal advisor to the director and senior legal instructor, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Born in Ohio on 4 January 1971, Tim Litka attended the University of Akron, from which he earned a degree in psychology in 1994. Four years later, he earned his juris doctor from the University of Toledo College of Law.
Immediately after passing the Ohio bar examination, Tim served as a public defender in Stark County, Ohio. Deciding that he wanted to use his law degree for a different kind of public service, Litka applied for a commission in the JAG Corps. He was directly commissioned as a first lieutenant in 2000. After completing the Judge Advocate Officer Basic Course, Tim served at Fort Hood as a legal assistance officer with the 4th Infantry Division before joining the Trial Defense Service at Fort Hood in 2001.
In 2003, then-Captain Litka received an assignment to the Washington, D.C. area, where he had tours at the U.S. Army Legal Services Agency with the Government Appellate Division and the Office of the Judge Advocate General, Criminal Law Division.
In 2006, Tim Litka left active duty, was admitted to the District of Columbia bar, and started his own law firm—Office of Timothy Litka, LLC—in Washington, D.C. He continued his service as an Army reserve lawyer, including tours at the Defense Appellate Division and Defense Counsel Assistance Program. In 2010, he decided to return to active duty and was reassessed into the Active Component.
In 2011, then-Major Litka deployed to Iraq for six months as a brigade judge advocate, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3d Infantry Division, before being assigned to Fort Gordon, Georgia, with duty as the command judge advocate, 7th Signal Command. After completing the Judge Advocate Graduate Course in 2012, Major Litka received an assignment to U.S. Army, Japan. He served as the deputy staff judge advocate at Camp Zama until 2014, when he left to be the legal advisor, Marshall Center, Garmisch, Germany.
After a second deployment to Iraq as the legal advisor to the chief, Office of Security Cooperation-Iraq, Lieutenant Colonel Litka became the staff judge advocate, First U.S. Army, Division West, located at Fort Hood, Texas. He left that position in 2021 for Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Lieutenant Colonel Litka was extraordinarily proud of his years as a judge advocate in the Active and Reserve Components. He relished his time with his family, his friends, and his community. During his twenty-two years of selfless service, Tim always took time to plan adventures so that his family had unforgettable memories.
Tim Litka’s military awards reflect his exemplary service. They include: the Defense Meritorious Service medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Meritorious Service Medal with five oak leaf clusters, the Army Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, and the Army Achievement Medal.Tim Litka is survived by his wife of fifteen years, Amy Fernandez Litka, and his daughter, Ava Litka. His mother, Eleanor Ruth Litka, two sisters, and one brother also survive him, along with ten nieces and nephews.
Lieutenant Colonel Litka was interred in the Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery on 26 November 2022.1 TAL
Mr. Borch is the regimental historian, archivist, and professor of legal history and leadership at The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Notes
1. Notice of Passing—Lieutenant Colonel Timothy David Litka, JAGCNet (Nov. 23, 2022), https://www. jagcnet.army.mil/Sites/JAGC.nsf/homeContent. xsp?open&doctype=event&documentId=6BF5D84E7D5F47AD8525890300682FEE; Officer Record Brief for Lieutenant Colonel Timothy D. Litka (Nov. 28, 2022) (on file with author).