Lieutenant Col. Curtis J. Loftin is the Tulsa District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Deputy Commander. As the Tulsa District Deputy Commander, he is second in command and fulfills the duties and responsibilities of the commander in his absence. Lt. Col. Loftin became the Tulsa District Deputy Commander in May 2024. A native of Kansas City, Missouri, he completed his secondary education at the Barstow School. He holds an Associate of Arts from the New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, New Mexico, a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice with a Minor in Business from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, and a Master in Military Art and Science from the Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Lt. Col. Loftin entered active duty in October 1995 as a Light Infantry Soldier and served with the Scout Platoon, 2-5 Infantry Battalion, 3rd Infantry Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Light), Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. After a brief hiatus in service and touring as a national and international recording solo artist, he reenlisted and received his commission as an Engineer Officer in October 2008 from the United States Army Officer Candidate School at Benning, Georgia.
He was assigned to the 508th Special Troops Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR) (4th Brigade Combat Team), 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. There, he served as the Battalion Rear Detachment Executive Officer, the Brigade's Officer in charge of the port detail in Kuwait, a Sapper Platoon Leader, the Engineer Company Executive Officer, and an Assistant Operations Officer (AS3). While assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, he deployed twice to support Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF X & XII).
After selection and graduation from the United States Marine Corps Expeditionary Warfare School (EWS), Quantico, Virginia, Lt. Col. Loftin was assigned to Fort Cavazos, Texas, to the 36th Engineer Brigade. He served as an Assistant Plans Officer, during the Brigade's humanitarian deployment for Operation United Assistance—Liberia (OUA) in response to the Ebola outbreak in three western African countries, he was the Brigade's Liaison Officer to the Joint Task Force-101 Headquarters. Upon his return from Liberia, he commanded the III Corps Phantom Warrior Academy, which controlled five schools (Air Assault School, Combat Leader Course, Combatives, Small Arms Master Gunnery Course, and Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station [CROWS] Course) and was selected for a second command of the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 20th Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade.
After company commands, Lt. Col. Loftin served one year with Operations Group X-ray, Mission Command Training Program (MCTP), Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, planning and executing five Warfighter Exercises before attending Command and General Staff College (CGSC).
Following CGSC, Lt. Col. Loftin served as the Deputy Engineer for the United States Army-Hawaii (USARHAW) and 25th Infantry Division Commanding General before serving as the 65th Brigade Engineer Battalion Executive Officer, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division. Following his assignment in Hawaii, he served in Izmir, Turkiye, as a G7 Training and Exercise Lead Planner in Land Command (LANDCOM), North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) before assuming his position as the Deputy Commander.
Lt. Col. Loftin is a graduate of Basic Training, Infantry Advanced Individual Training, US Army Officer Candidate School, Basic Officer Leader Course II, Engineer Basic Officer Course, USMC Expeditionary Warfare School, Command and General Staff College, Joint Humanitarian Operations Course (JHOC), Joint Engineer Operations Course (JEOC), Defense Support of Civil Authorities Level III (DSCA), Ranger School, Ranger Indoctrination Program, Sapper Leader Course, Jungle Operation Training Course (JOTC), US Army Airborne School, U.S. Army Jumpmaster School, Air Assault School, Rappel Master Course, Special Patrol Insertion Extraction System (SPIES) and Fast Rope Insertion Extraction System (FRIES) Master Course, and Combatives Level I.
Lt. Col. Loftin’s military awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Army Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Armed Forces Service Medal, and the NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Medal. His unit awards include the Joint Meritorious Unit Award, the Army Valorous Unit Citation, the Army Meritorious Unit Citation, and the Army Superior Unit Award with oak leaf cluster. He is authorized to wear the Combat Action Badge, Expert Infantryman Badge, Ranger Tab, Sapper Tab, Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency (GOLD), and Australian Parachute Wings. He is a recipient of the Army Engineer Association's Bronze DeFluery Medal.