Evangeline Coeyman of Emmaus has seen the depths of hell.

Coeyman, who served as a nurse during World War II gave a presentation on her experiences in the war at the Whitehall Township Public Library Dec. 7.

Sitting at a table with old newspaper clippings, photos and other memorabilia strewn in front of her, Coeyman engaged the crowd of community members and a Whitehall High School 10th-grade history class with stories of her time as a nurse.

Coeyman volunteered for service at age 21, after she passed the Pennsylvania nursing exam boards. From 1942 to 1945 she served in England, at the Battle of the Bulge and in many concentration camps.

"I wasn't afraid," she said.

Typical shifts for nurses ran 12 hours seven days a week, she said. Coeyman and her nursing colleagues were responsible for identifying patients, administering oxygen and morphine and assisting doctors with various medical procedures.

The most common injury soldiers sustained was gun shot wounds, she said.

According to Coeyman, the soldiers looked forward to the benefits of being treated.

"They thought about the stove," she said, which provided heat to the patients. "They were grateful for having a little cover on them, too."

She told the audience she met President Dwight Eisenhower and Gen. George Patton. During one point of the war, Coeyman said, Eisenhower threw a Saturday night party for the soldiers.

"It was real nice of Eisenhower to do that," she said.

Coeyman received a number of medals and awards for her service, one of which includes the French Legion of Honor. She was also given a medal from the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives for her service in the war.

She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a master's from Temple University. After the war, she served as a staff member at St. Luke's School of Nursing, Bethlehem, where she now holds the title faculty emeritus.

Coeyman said in the near future she may write a book about her experiences in the war.