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AURORA, Colo. - Members at the Air Reserve Personnel Center have
been seeing double since Senior Airmen Evan and Adam Van Horn were
assigned here. Although the twins are fraternal, it's difficult to
tell them apart.
Their journey began in May 2014 when Evan
began working as a points management agent on Reserve Personnel
Appropriation orders here. Evan shared the news about the
opportunity with Adam, who also applied and began working on June 2,
2014 as a recognition agent.
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Senior Airmen Evan and Adam Van Horn stand outside the Air Reserve
Personnel Center headquarters building June 17, 2014. Members at the
Air Reserve Personnel Center have been seeing double since Senior
Airmen Evan and Adam Van Horn were assigned here. Although the twins
are fraternal, it's difficult to tell them apart. Their journey
began in May when Evan began working as a points management agent on
Reserve Personnel Appropriation orders here.
(U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Robert Hazelett)
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“Due in large part to our Human Capital Transformation
effort, ARPC has inherited a number of new responsibilities
that did not come with associated manpower billets. ARPC
uses RPA orders to bring in reservists who can assist with
this new workload,” said Col. Carolyn Stickell, individual
mobilization augmentee to the vice commander. “Since these
reservists are called to active duty via RPA orders, they
are nicknamed RPAers.”
In order to accomplish the
mission, ARPC currently has about 74 RPAers filling the gaps
until there is a permanent manpower solution. RPAers sit in
almost every section of ARPC, contributing to the mission
side-by-side with their civilian, contractor, active duty,
Guard and Reserve counterparts providing a seamless,
total-force customer service solution.
Meanwhile,
some of the twins' colleagues have taken a little while to
grasp there was more than one Van Horn in the center.
“At first I couldn't tell them apart, especially if they
were in their flight suits,” said Staff Sgt. Diaydra
Gardner, recognitions agent, who has worked with Adam for
one week.
“I thought they were the same person,” said
Staff Sgt. Giovanna Capili, recognitions agent, “until
somebody mentioned there were two of them.”
Although
the Van Horn twins say they don't look much alike, they
admitted a lot of people have trouble telling them apart.
“People get us mixed up all the time,” said Evan, the
oldest brother by one minute. “I couldn't count the number
of times I've been approached by people who think I'm
[Adam].”
“During load school, military training
leaders thought Evan was me when I left a school location to
start another course,” said Adam, a three-year Air Force
veteran who enlisted one day after his brother.
This
isn't the first time the brothers, who are C-130 Loadmasters
as traditional reservists, have been assigned together.
In their assignment with the 731st Airlift Squadron at
Peterson AFB, Colorado, they said even though they worked
under the same roof, they never physically flew together due
to regulations on relatives working together in flight.
“It seems the older we get, the more we are finding our
own identities,” Evan said as he described what it was like
to work here with his brother and what they bring to the
center. “For me, it's just another day in the life of being
a Van Horn twin. Our collaboration is great; we bring our
own perspectives to each other and work together so well as
a team that we could get anything done better and faster
than any other pair.”
Adam included his thoughts
about working with his brother.
“Honestly, it's
business as usual. We have always been in each other's
footsteps,” said Adam, who added what he liked most about
working with his brother: “He's the one that takes more
risks. If there is something I want to do but it seems too
challenging, he'll do it first and pave the way for me.”
The twins don't hesitate when it comes to sharing their
hobbies and goals.
Adam looks forward to furthering
his education with the Post-9/11 GI Bill. He plans to enroll
in courses to obtain his associate's degree through the
Community College of the Air Force, then pursue his
bachelor's degree. In his spare time, he likes to hike and
play Xbox.
“Since coming here, physical fitness has
also become an important part of my life. I've been running
a couple miles a day at least four times a week,” said Evan,
who's an avid Denver Broncos fan. “My goal is to be the best
person I can possibly be, whether that means education,
career, relationships or health. I just want to always be
able to look in the mirror and be proud of who I am.”
As the Van Horn twins strive to create their own
individuality, they realize others around them may find it
hard to tell them apart. However, they've grown accustomed
to it, and know it's just a matter of time before their
colleagues' double vision wears off.
By U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Robert Hazelett
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2014
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