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Rod Serling spent three years as a paratrooper during World War II. It was an experience that haunted him for the rest of his life.
The Emmy Award-winning creator and host of “The Twilight Zone” died in 1975 at age 50 of a heart attack.
Ahead of his 100th birthday – December 25 – Anne Serling, daughter of Serling and television writer Marc Scott Zicree, is looking back at his life and legacy.
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Rod Serling was born on December 1, 25, 1924. (CBS via Getty Images)
Anne, author of memoirs “As far as I know him: My father, Rod Serling.” told Fox News Digital that the star suffered from PTSD after serving his country.
“My father signed up for the war the day after he graduated from high school,” she says. “He really wanted to go fight the Nazis, but… he was sent to the Philippines. He is in Laos… which had the fiercest battles… He saw one of his friends beheaded when there was a crate of food. Falling from the sky – it’s just a horrible thing.”
Anne Serling as a child with her father Rod Serling (Courtesy of Anne Serling)
“I know Dad has nightmares,” said Anne. “I can hear him sometimes. And in the morning I will ask him what happened. He said he dreamed that the enemy was coming for him.”
Anne Serling’s memoir “As I Knew Him” and television writer Mark Scott Sicri’s book “The Twilight Zone Companion” are available now. (Commonwealth Book Company, Inc. | Silman-James Publishing)
“When I was writing the book I read the letter he wrote to… His parents, before he was sent away when he was in boot camp,” recalls Anne, “and they broke my heart because he asked for things like candy or gum or belt buckles or something. And underwear because he doesn’t like panties in the digestive tract. It hinders their youth.”
Anne said he is dealing with his PTSD symptoms “as best as I can.”
Anne Serling and Rod Serling on Father’s Day (Courtesy of Anne Serling)
“It was called ‘shell shock’ back then,” she said. “It’s not even a word, PTSD… but I’ll tell you, he wore a paratrooper bracelet all his life. It means a lot to him.”
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Rod Serling served during World War II. (Courtesy of Anne Serling)
Jodi Serling, Anne’s sister, later wrote that the war It “opened up a dark world of terror” for her father. She said this gave the bishops “Repressed memories” which influenced his writing and woke him up in the night. “Sweating and screaming inconsolably.”
Zicree Screenwriter “Friends of the Twilight Zone” Emphasized to Fox News Digital that Serling was not a “dark, depressed, broken man.”
Rod Serling and Carol Burnett share an off-camera moment while filming an episode of “The Twilight Zone.” (CBS via Getty Images)
“When he was 40, he went back to the battalion to jump another paratrooper out of a plane to show he could still do it,” Zikri chuckles. “He always had love for his fellow veterans… (And) he’s full of life, fun, he lives in the moment, he loves – he loves his family. He has very close friends. He is really a good person.”
Dick York, of “Bewitched” fame, filmed “The Purple Testament” for “The Twilight Zone.” Director Rod Serling appears here between scenes. (CBS Photo Gallery/Getty Images)
follow National World War II MuseumOne of three men in Serling’s troop survived. He was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
“As a writer He was able to get it off his chest by writing,” says Zikri. “There’s a great episode of ‘The Twilight Zone’ called ‘The Purple Testament,’ which is about soldiers in World War II… Battle in the Philippines which can see the faces of those dying on the battlefield.”
“The Twilight Zone” aired between 1959 and 1964. (Photo Archive/Getty Images)
“There was a strange light affecting them that he could see. and the exhaustion of those soldiers’ souls It felt so realistic and real,” he says. “You could tell that the person who wrote that episode had that experience. It is one of the best things ever written about war.”
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Rod Serling and his family arrived in New York City from Los Angeles, circa 1962. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Anne described Serling as a caring father who was unmoved by fame. Family must always come first.
“My father was different than people imagined,” she says. “They saw this dark image walking across the sound stage. But my dad was hilarious. He liked ‘The Flintstones.’
Anne Serling is celebrating with Rod Serling on his birthday. (Courtesy of Anne Serling)
“He has a great singing voice. He would belt out Sinatra and Tony. Bennett He’s the best gorilla impersonator you can imagine. As can be seen in almost every home movie. He told the audience (members) once that ‘You think you know me, but really, I don’t even like going into the attic unless the light’s on.'”
WATCH: ‘THE TWILIGHT ZONE”S ROD SERLING HAS PTSD AS ‘NOT A BROKEN MAN’
“There are so many memories of Dad that make me smile,” Anne continued. “One time he came down and put on my lampshade. It was funny. Another thing is that when he got angry, he walked out of the room. And about five minutes later he walked back in and said, ‘See, where’s my twin brother?
Someone saw Rod. Serling introduces an episode of his television show “The Twilight Zone” in California, circa 1962. (CBS Photo Gallery/Getty Images)
“Good memories. Another thing I had was traveling with my dad to New York City. Every time we get on the elevator He would tell me this is when I grew up a little. It’s a poem that doesn’t suit the color of your skin. I’ll start laughing as soon as we get on the elevator. Then he would start laughing. There we were like two fools laughing and laughing.”
The writer and producer has quickly become one of television’s most prolific and well-known writers. The New York Times Zicree has reported that Serling has had a “mixed response” to his Hollywood success.
Anne Serling had a close bond with her father, Rod Serling. She insists he was not a dark and angry man. But he is a person full of life. (Courtesy of Anne Serling)
“I think he’s definitely proud of ‘The Twilight Zone,’” he explains. “He feels that ‘The Twilight Zone’ achieved what it set out to do. which is to bring everything he cares about Everything he feels about life, humanity, love and death, all the real big issues are put into his performance.
“But I think Hollywood…can be incredibly corrosive. It can break your heart. It can destroy your spirit. Rod isn’t a broken person at all. But definitely after ‘The Twilight Zone’ when he did ‘Night Gallery’ and other things. Important projects He definitely feels how Hollywood can be unnecessarily cruel. and not realizing quality like we all do.”
Rod Serling continues to inspire filmmakers like Jordan Peele and M. Night Shyamalan. (CBS via Getty Images)
“I hope Rod Serling never has an executive reject him because he is our genius,” Zicree reflects. “But I think towards the end of his life, he didn’t think ‘The Twilight Zone’ would stand the test of time. He says as much in interviews.”
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Rod Serling died in 1975. He was 50 years old. (CBS via Getty Images)
“When I was writing (My book) I interviewed over 100 people who worked on the show,” Zicree recalls. “No one has a bad thing to say about Rod. There is no one… In a city known for being cunning, mischievous, and prone to quarrels. Everyone loves Rod.”
Anne said Serling was full of hope during his final years. He’s excited about writing a novel and a Broadway play. He also “would like to meet my grandkids someday.”
“He feels very optimistic about his future,” she said. “My parents have talked about possibly going back east longer because they both like the change of seasons.”
Rod Serling and Robby the Robot, circa 1963. (CBS via Getty Images)
“He was hardly a broken man. Just shivering in the shadows,” Zicree says. “I think we’re lucky that he’s working in a medium where we can see his work… And the quality of ‘The Twilight Zone’ is what will make it last a hundred years from now. When we are the leader In a nutrient tank with a robot We’ll probably be back here again to tell you how great Rod is.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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