Thijs (sort of rhymes with 'ice,' and starts with a 't' sound like 'Thomas') van Lincklaen was born in Vlissingen (known in English as Flushing), the birthplace of naval hero Admiraal Michiel Adriaenszoon De Ruyter, on April 29, 1959, the 283^rd anniversary of De Ruyter's death*.  The son of Bas van Lincklaen, a fisherman, Thijs worked for his father as he grew.  When Thijs was seventeen, their fishing boat capsized during a storm, claiming the life of his father.  Clinging to the overturned hull, the youth was rescued by the frigate HNLMS Tromp.  That autumn, he went to university at Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, studying Biology and Meteorology, and serving with the local Emergency Squad.  As graduation approached, Thijs recalled how impressed he was with the Marines on board the Tromp, and decided to enlist.

After completing Basic Training, Thijs was assigned to the Marine complement aboard the frigate De Ruyter (the Tromp's sister ship) just in time to voyage to America for the celebration of the bicentennial of diplomatic relations between the Netherlands and the United States.  He was disappointed at not being included in the party visiting Admiraal De Ruyter's namesake town in upstate New York (and the neighboring town named for a distant relative), but did enjoy himself on leave in New York City.

Starting in 1985, he spent two tours of duty as embassy guard -- first in Warsaw, then in Bonn.  In both cities, he picked up some of the local language and made friends in the host countries' military.

Following his hitch in Germany, Thijs returned to sea duty where he underwent refresher training in small watercraft operation.

Then came the War.  Thijs spent some time with a missile squad as an automatic gunner, picking up additional proficiency in Tac Missile operation and a little bit of Forward Observer.  During the fighting, he did pick up quite a bit of radiation exposure.  Lately, he has been in Gdansk, and has volunteered to journey to Warsaw to help guide stragglers back for the recall and evacuation.  He made it as far as Plock, where he has been training the youngsters.  The time has come to head back to Gdansk and home.

Standing at 178cm (5' 10") and 76kg (167 lb), Thijs is lean and wiry.  With short dark blond hair and a youthful face, he looks much younger than his 41 years.  His eyes, however, tell a different story.  A scar on the back of his left hand is a reminder of the accident that cost him his father.

*OOC:  This is entirely coincidental; I randomly rolled his birthday before discovering it was the date of De Ruyter's death.