This article delves into the profound impact World War II had on Rod Serling, the iconic creator of 'The Twilight Zone', revealing his lifelong struggles with PTSD. It highlights his harrowing experiences as a paratrooper and his efforts to cope with the trauma he endured.
Rod Serling spent three years as a paratrooper during World War II – an experience that haunted him the rest of his life. The Emmy Award-winning creator and host of 'The Twilight Zone' passed away in 1975 at age 50 from a heart attack. Ahead of what would have been his 100th birthday – Dec. 25 – Serling’s daughter, Anne Serling, and TV writer Marc Scott Zicree are looking back at his life and legacy.
Anne, author of the memoir 'As I Knew Him: My Dad, Rod Serling,' told Fox News Digital that the star was plagued with PTSD after serving his country. 'My father enlisted in the War the day after he graduated from high school,' she shared. 'He really wanted to go and fight the Nazis, but… he was sent to the Philippines. He was in Laos… where some of the fiercest fighting was… He saw a friend of his decapitated when a food crate fell from the sky – just horrific things.' 'I know my dad had nightmares,' said Anne. 'I would hear him sometimes. And in the morning, I would ask him what happened, and he said he dreamed that the enemy was coming at him.' 'When I was writing my book, I read the letters that he wrote to… his parents before he was sent over when he was in training camp,' Anne recalled. 'And they broke my heart because he was asking for things like candy, gum and a belt buckle or something, and underwear because he didn’t like the GI underwear. It punctuated how young these guys were.' Anne said he coped with his PTSD symptoms 'as best as he could.' 'It was called ‘shell shock’ back then,' she said. 'It wasn’t even a term, PTSD… But I’ll tell you, he wore his paratrooper bracelet throughout his life. It was extremely meaningful to him.' Anne’s sister, Jodi Serling, later wrote that the war 'opened up dark horizons of terror' for her fathe
ROD SERLING TWILIGHT ZONE WORLD WAR II PTSD NIGHTMARES
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