Summary
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.
Gijs Tuinman | |
|---|---|
 Tuinman in 2014 | |
| Member of the House of Representatives | |
| Assumed office 6 December 2023 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Gijs Pepijn Tuinman 15 November 1979 Heerlen, Netherlands |
| Political party | Farmer–Citizen Movement |
| Residence(s) | Oud-Beijerland, Netherlands |
| Education | |
| Awards |
|
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Netherlands |
| Branch/service | Royal Netherlands Army |
| Years of service | 1998–2012, 2013–2023 |
| Rank |  Lieutenant Colonel |
| Unit | Korps Commandotroepen |
| Battles/wars | Afghanistan War |
Biography edit
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 edit
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 edit
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 edit
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (December 2023) |
| Year | Body | Party | Pos. | Votes | Result | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party seats | Individual | |||||||
| 2023 | House of Representatives | Farmer–Citizen Movement | 3 | 5,834 | 7 | Won | [6] | |
Decorations edit
- Knight 4th class of the Military Order of William (RMWO)
- Bronze Lion
- Commemorative Medal Peacekeeping Operations
- Four Day Marches Cross
- NATO Medal
References edit
- ^ a b c Gijs Tuinman, held tegen wil en dank, de Volkskrant, 20 October 2014.
- ^ Bescheiden maar doeltreffend, Defensiekrant, 24 October 2014.
- ^ Onderscheidingen aan Nederlanders voor deelnames aan internationale Vredesoperaties, Onderscheidingen.nl. Bezocht op 31 October 2014.
- ^ Curriculum vitae majoor Gijs Tuinman, defensie.nl
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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 edit
Media related to Gijs Tuinman at Wikimedia Commons
