World War II survivor tells students her story

JACKSON, Tenn. — Students received a first-person perspective of an event in history that can seem far away.

Dietlinde Spears lived through World War II in Nazi Germany. Now, she talks to students about her life.

“I’m not a Holocaust victim, but when I speak, I tell my experiences during the war and how the Germans suffered because they weren’t informed, didn’t care to be informed,” Spears said.

She made history come alive for students at Jackson Christian.

“They see movies on TV about war, but I don’t know if they really know the difference,” she said.

Students say this changed their perspective on World War II and what happened afterward.

“It was very insightful to see that she went through a lot, and we take a lot for granted,” Emma Smith, a senior at Jackson Christian, said.

Smith says the story she heard was shocking.

“It was really crazy to see the conditions they’re living in,” she said.

“Everybody suffers in war,” Dietlinde Spears added. “That’s what I want them to understand.”

But, Spears says there is hope through it all.

“I want to show them I’m real, I lived through it, but I survived, and I’m here,” she said.

And she wants students to appreciate what they have.

“It shows me how blessed I am to live here and go to a Christian school and just have the parents and support I have around me,” Smith said.

Teachers at Jackson Christian say they want students to walk away with a new perspective on world history.