My twin brother is the best blessing I could ever ask for. God knew what he was doing when he made us twins. – Del Gull
Del and Don Gull have been there for each other through it all. From competing in eighth-grade football to playing in their high school band, the twin brothers from Parowan have stuck together.
But when Del joined the military and Don decided to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the brothers had to find a different way to support each other. Two years later, Del surprised Don during a layover at the Atlanta airport, a moment neither will forget.
Growing up, Del and Don were very similar and enjoyed being around each other; however, both say there were times when they wished for their own space.
"Growing up as twins was a blessing and a trial," Del told the Deseret News. "We always competed with each other, but we were best friends. You're always close to your sibling, parents and friends, but my twin has been with me for the longest time."
One of the only things the two brothers would disagree about is which college was better.
"The biggest thing we can never agree on: Don is a Utah Utes fan, I'm a BYU Cougars fan," Del said.
But Del and Don had similar interests in many other things, and they enjoyed doing them together.
"We could barely be separated," Del said. "We even shared the same bedroom until I left for boot camp."
That's why Oct. 10, 2011, was a difficult day for both brothers as Don traveled with Del to Salt Lake as he prepared to enter the United States Marine Corps boot camp.
"I dropped him off at his hotel in Salt Lake while my family was still in Parowan," Don said.
"That was so hard to watch him get out of the car, knowing we had hit that point in our lives that our paths were dividing. That was really hard. I had to pull over because I was crying so much."
Having already decided to serve an LDS mission, Don explained that it was difficult to see his brother leave without him.
"When he chose military instead of mission, it kind of made me doubt my choice to serve a mission, and I started looking towards the military. But after prayer, I got the answer that military wasn't my thing at that moment, which was hard because I felt like I left my brother alone at that moment," Don said.
"I attended a friend's farewell and another young man was speaking, but he was returning from his mission. … He talked on why it was important to serve a mission, and I felt he was talking directly to me, so I knew I was supposed to serve a mission."
Soon after, Don received a mission call to the Brazil Porto Alegre South Mission and left in April 2012. Although the brothers were apart, they continued to support each other.
"There were many moments during my mission that I wished I could talk to him, that I missed him. I was looking forward to the day I could hug him and just sit and talk with him again," Don said.
"He helped me push myself a lot and was definitely my best friend during my mission. I think everywhere I went I bragged about him, even to complete strangers."
As Don's homecoming grew closer and closer, Del, who was stationed at Camp Lejuene in North Carolina, planned a surprise meeting.
"About two months before (Don) came home from his mission, we received his flight itinerary, and my mom then jokingly said I should surprise him," Del said. "Then we came to the conclusion I really should, so about 30 minutes later I purchased a ticket for the same flight and he had no idea about it."
Del flew into Atlanta to then catch the same flight his brother would be on, traveling home to Salt Lake.
"I made it to the gate as they started boarding, but the missionaries were still seated waiting. I was thinking about how to record it and immediately looked by me and saw this man just walking the same direction," Del said.
"I asked if he would do me a favor, and he saw my uniform and told me his son was a Marine and would be happy to help. I told him about the situation and he agreed, so I walked up casually to where the missionaries were and just said, 'Elder Gull!' and you should have seen the surprise on his face. I was shaking from excitement to see my twin. We hadn't seen each other in about two and a half years, so it was just awesome to be with him again."
Don was surprised and ecstatic.
"When I heard 'Elder Gull' and saw him in his uniform, I was so happy. That is when it really hit me that I was going home. My feeling was overwhelming happiness," Don said.
"I missed my parents and wanted to see them and my family very much, but I wanted to see my twin more than anyone. We're best friends and brothers. I wouldn't have felt like I was with my whole family at the moment if he wasn't there."
After reuniting, Del and Don boarded the plane and even sat next to each other as they journeyed home. Once in Utah, Sam and Jaymie Gull were able to see their twin sons together again.
Del spent 20 days with Don and his family before returning to North Carolina.
"My twin brother is the best blessing I could ever ask for. God knew what he was doing when he made us twins," Del said.
"We may be miles apart, but we will always be best buddies! … My Mom would always say, 'Your friends come and go, but your family is with you forever,' and that's the best thing to have in today's world is an eternal family."
Del uploaded the video of his and Don's reunion to YouTube on Oct. 7.
Email: spetersen@deseretnews.com | Twitter: @Sarah_DNews