Community's been through tragedy before Posted On: Sunday, Nov. 8 2009 05:31 AM By Mason W. Canales
Killeen Daily Herald

The Fort Hood mass shooting overwhelmed two victims of the 1991 Luby's massacre, but they sincerely believe the Killeen/Fort Hood community will persevere.

Kirby Lack and Suzanna Hupp were both victims of the Luby's massacre Oct. 16, 1991, when George Hennard killed 23 people and wounded more than 20 others in a Killeen Luby's cafeteria. Lack was critically injured in the incident, and Hupp lost her parents.

"This community has been through it before," Hupp said. "I think they are very organized, and they are outstanding at being able to pull people together and put together so many kinds of helpful community outreach ceremonies for those suffering," she added.

When Hupp realized there was a shooting Thursday, she was attempting to pick up her children at school in Lampasas, but the building was locked down, she said. All she could think about was what to do if a second shooter arrived in Lampasas.

"While other people were chatting about the Fort Hood shooting, I am thinking about how to protect my kids if there is another shooter," Hupp said. "That stinks. You don't want to think that way."

Lack was instantly taken back to the Luby's scene, he said.

"It was like a flashback for about three or four minutes," Lack said. "When you aren't armed and you can't hide, it is the most helpless I have ever felt in my life. I could feel the flash as I sat there and watched for a couple of minutes, and then immediately it went to anger."

While the two were both tremendously shocked by the Fort Hood shooting, they said that the victims will overcome any hardships the future will bring them.

"Honestly, I am still trying to deal with (what happened) in 1991, but the biggest message I give to people it is not what happens; it is how you respond to it," Lack said. "You can't live life in the past. You have just to go forward... You face your fears; you can't be destroyed over them."

Lack suggested that people should be there to comfort the victims, but not change themselves to do so.

"It is really to just don't be something else," he said. "If you are the strong type stay strong, and if you are the type that hugs and kisses on them, they will want that."

The victims are going to seek out the people they need to confide in to help them overcome what they have gone through, and everyone should be that person they were before the tragedy.

For Hupp, talking helped, she said. But there were also some community meetings between the survivors which helped her too.

"It was helpful to me to know that others were experiencing the same things," Hupp said. "That I wasn't the only that one that would jump at loud noises."

The community also played a strong role in their overcoming the Luby's incident, Hupp said.

"I got so many flowers personally, that they had to line them up down the hall at Metroplex," Lack said.

You can see people doing the same thing today.

"Everybody (Friday) at 1:35 p.m. took a break for those people," Lack said. "I am not surprised at all that we have come together.

Some of these people would probably never give blood, but they lined up Thursday to do so."

Lack is a longtime pastor of Trinity Worship Center in Copperas Cove and a former Cove city councilman.

Hupp served as the District 54 state representative for 12 years and has been a longtime Second Amendment rights proponent.

Lack also offered to help counsel the victims and their families.

"Anyone who needs to talk is more than welcome to call me at the church," Lack said.

The church phone number is (254) 547-8064.

Contact Mason W. Canales at mcanales@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7554.