In 1918, he returned to Lithuania and volunteered for the newly established Lithuanian Army and became Chief of the Defence Staff on 24 December 1918.
In July 1919, Liatukas was appointed commander of the 1st Brigade (1st and 3rd Infantry Regiments and three battalions) that pushed Soviet forces across the Daugava River by the end of August 1919.
Liatukas was born on 29 January 1876 to a family of Lithuanian farmers in Padievaitis [lt] near Kvėdarna which was then part of the Russian Empire (present-day Lithuania).
In Riga, Liatukas found a small group of Lithuanian students, which included Kipras Bielinis.
[4] In October 1902, a year before graduating from the gymnasium, Liatukas volunteered for the Russian Imperial Army and was assigned to the 163rd Lenkoran-Nasheburg Infantry Regiment [ru].
[6] In July 1914, during the general mobilization, Liatukas was assigned to the newly formed 318th Chernoyarsk Infantry Regiment in Penza as commander of its 15th Company.
[12] When he learned about the efforts to organized the Lithuanian Army, he traveled to Vilnius and signed up as a volunteer on 5 December 1918.
[15] The same day, Minister of Defence Antanas Merkys reassigned Liatukas to the 3rd Infantry Regiment which was being formed in Raseiniai.
[15] Liatukas worked to organize the unit and later participated in the Lithuanian offensive against the Soviets as part of the Vilkmergė Group.
[18] In particular, Ladiga commanded the operation to retake Zarasai on 23 August as Liatukas was on short vacation due to the deaths of his father and brother.
[20] On 27 September 1919, Liatukas and the entire staff of the brigade were captured by Polish forces in Birkineļi [lv] (present-day Latvia).
[21] In the aftermath of the attempted Polish coup in August 1919, commander of the Lithuanian Army Silvestras Žukauskas was forced to resign due to his perceived friendliness towards Poland.
[25] In combating the remaining units, Liatukas had to balance military threat posed by the Soviet Union and Poland and diplomatic issues (French general and delegate Henri Niessel, representing the Entente powers, demanded a peaceful solution the crisis).
[27] In December 1919, Liatukas signed order delegating Vladas Nagevičius to organize and establish the Vytautas the Great War Museum.
[29] On 22 February, soldiers marched towards the Church of St. Michael the Archangel and presented their demands to Liatukas who agreed to consider them.
[30] Antanas Merkys, Kazys Ladiga, and Stasys Nastopka organized loyal military units (primarily the 6th and 8th Infantry Regiments) to put down the rebellion.
[31] On 23 February 1920, Liatukas was assigned as commander of the newly formed Local Army Brigade (Vietinės kariuomenės brigada).
[33] On 15 July 1920, Liatukas was appointed officer of special affairs under the army commander, but resigned from the military three weeks later.
In October 1922, Liatukas transferred to the Bank of Lithuania and worked to ensure the proper storage of the newly printed Lithuanian litas.
[36] On 28 October 1940, Soviet NKVD searched Liatukas apartment and arrested his sixteen year-old son Vytautas.
[39] In 1944, many Lithuanians retreated west escaping the advancing Red Army, but Liatukas and his family remained in Lithuania.
[41] NKVD agents found blank forms to register new LLA recruits at Liatukas apartment.
[44] According to memoirs of fellow inmates, Liatukas was tortured because he refused to testify and remained stubbornly silent during interrogations.
[45][46] NKVD documents show that Liatukas could not be questioned as early as two days after his arrest "due to illness".