FORT WAYNE, Ind. (Indiana's NewsCenter) - The retired soldiers of American Legion Post 82 have seen their share of combat overseas, but nothing prepared them for what happened at Fort Hood Thursday afternoon.

"We're losing a lot of soldiers over in Afghanistan and we're losing a few in Iraq," explained Lynn Shady, a Korean War vet. "To lose them in the United States at one of our own bases is just unbelievable."

Shady is one of several Legion members who gathered at Post 82 for their regular board meeting Thursday evening. The conversation quickly turned to the big news of the day, an Army officer in Texas who turned is weapon on fellow soldiers.

The story hit home for Shady, who was stationed at the Texas installation for four months in 1959.

It was a large base, it still is the largest Army base in the United States", he said, describing a sprawling military complex covering thousands of acres and hundreds of square miles.

Shady was assigned to the 2nd Armored division which had just rotated back from Germany. As a young enlisted man, he fueled the massive tanks and armored vehicles that were returning from the battlefields of Europe.

Shady also spent two tours of duty in Korea, and said neither he nor his fellow soldiers could ever imagine turning a gun on their peers.

"I have never heard of a soldier wanting to destroy another soldier's life that way. It just didn't happen, said retired Army sergeant Carl Fowler.

Fowler says he was eating out when he heard the news, and was at a loss for words.

Talk of the tragedy spread throughout the American Legion post. Theories on the motive behind the attack varied, but one thing remains certain, these Fort Wayne veterans are holding the victims in their thoughts and prayers.

"We just need to pray that this never happens again, Fowler said."

Stay tuned to Indiana's NewsCenter for further updates on this story.