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Gijs Tuinman
RMWO
Tuinman in 2014
Member of the House of Representatives
Assumed office
6 December 2023
Personal details
Born
Gijs Pepijn Tuinman

(1979-11-15) 15 November 1979 (age 44)
Heerlen, Netherlands
Political partyFarmer–Citizen Movement
Residence(s)Oud-Beijerland, Netherlands
Education
Awards
Military service
Allegiance Netherlands
Branch/serviceRoyal Netherlands Army
Years of service1998–2012, 2013–2023
Rank Lieutenant Colonel
UnitKorps Commandotroepen
Battles/warsAfghanistan War

Gijs Pepijn Tuinman RMWO (pronounced [ɣɛis pəˈpɛin ˈtœynmɑn]; born 15 November 1979)[1] is a Dutch military officer and politician of the Farmer–Citizen Movement (BBB), who has served as a member of the House of Representatives since 2023. He is one of the only three living knights (4th class) of the Military Order of William, the oldest and highest order of chivalry of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Biography

Gijs Tuinman was born in 1979 in Heerlen, Limburg, where he attended the Bernardinuscollege from 1992 to 1998. In 1998, he went to the Royal Military Academy in Breda. In 2001, he became a platoon commander in the Korps Commandotroepen to be.[1] By 2009, he had been on at least five deployments to Afghanistan, several to Africa and other missions.[2] On 7 October 2009, for a mission in 2006, he was awarded the Bronze Lion, the second highest military decoration awarded by Queen Beatrix.[3]

From 2009 to 2012, he worked as a special operations policy advisor at the Ministry of Defence in The Hague. After this, he became a 'civilian' consultant at Deloitte. He returned to military duty in 2013.[1][4]

Military Order of William

On 4 December 2014 at the Binnenhof in The Hague, Tuinman was knighted by King Willem-Alexander, receiving the fourth class knighthood of the Military Order of William. The King referred to Tuinman and Epke Zonderland in his Christmas speech in 2014.

Politics

Tuinman told in February 2024 – during the Russian invasion of Ukraine – on BNR Nieuwsradio that he believed the Netherlands should more actively support NATO's defense of Central and Eastern Europe against Russia. He suggested Dutch soldiers should be permanently stationed in Lithuania or Poland.[5]

Electoral history

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (December 2023)
Electoral history of Gijs Tuinman
Year Body Party Pos. Votes Result Ref.
Party seats Individual
2023 House of Representatives Farmer–Citizen Movement 3 5,834 7 Won [6]

Decorations

References

  1. ^ a b c Gijs Tuinman, held tegen wil en dank, de Volkskrant, 20 October 2014.
  2. ^ Bescheiden maar doeltreffend, Defensiekrant, 24 October 2014.
  3. ^ Onderscheidingen aan Nederlanders voor deelnames aan internationale Vredesoperaties, Onderscheidingen.nl. Bezocht op 31 October 2014.
  4. ^ Curriculum vitae majoor Gijs Tuinman, defensie.nl
  5. ^ Kock, Remy (5 February 2024). "BBB: 'Nederlandse krijgsmacht moet grondig gereorganiseerd worden'" [BBB: 'Dutch military should be thoroughly reorganized']. BNR Nieuwsradio (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  6. ^ "Proces-verbaal van de uitslag van de verkiezing van de Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal 2023 d.d. 4 december 2023" [Report of the results of the election of the House of Representatives on 4 December 2023] (PDF). Dutch Electoral Council (in Dutch). 4 December 2023. pp. 125–182, 245. Retrieved 21 December 2023.

External links

Members of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands (2023–present)
Categories