‘The Twilight Zone’ creator was plagued with PTSD after WWII: daughter

Rod Serling spent three years as a paratrooper during World War II. This experience would haunt him for the rest of his life.

The Emmy Award-winning creator and host of “The Twilight Zone” died of a heart attack in 1975 at the age of 50.

Ahead of his 100th birthday on December 25th, Serling's daughter Anne Serling and television writer Mark Scott Zicree are reflecting on his life and achievements.

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Ann, author of Memoirs “The Man I Knew: My Father, Rod Serling” told FOX News Digital that Starr suffered from PTSD after serving his country.

“My father enlisted in the war the day after he graduated from high school,” she said. “He really wanted to go and fight the Nazis… but he was sent to the Philippines. He was in Laos… where the heaviest fighting was going on… boxes of food were falling from the sky. I witnessed my friend being decapitated. It was horrifying.”

Anne Serling as a child and her father Rod Serling. (Courtesy of Ann Serling)

“I know my father had nightmares,” Anne said. “I heard his voice from time to time. And in the morning I asked him what happened, and he said he was dreaming that the enemy was coming towards him.”

Anne Serling's memoir “As I Knew Him” ​​and television writer Mark Scott Zicree's book “The Twilight Zone Companion” are available now. (Commonwealth Book Company, Inc. | Silman-James Press)

“When I was writing the book, I read the letters he had written to his parents before they were sent to him while he was away at training camp,” Ann recalled. “And they broke my heart because he asked for things like candy, gum, belt buckles, and he asked for underwear because he didn't like GI underwear. That's how young they were. I emphasized that.

Anne said she dealt with her PTSD symptoms “as best I could.”

Anne Serling and Rod Serling on Father's Day. (Courtesy of Ann Serling)

“Back then it was called 'shell shock,'” she says. “There wasn't even a word for PTSD…But I'll tell you, he wore a paratrooper bracelet his entire life. It meant a lot to him.”

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Rod Serling served in the military during World War II. (Courtesy of Ann Serling)

Anne's sister, Jodie Serling, later wrote that the war “opened up dark horizons of terror” for their father. She said the incident left the chieftain with “gut-wrenching memories” that affected his writing, leaving him awake at night “sweating and screaming inconsolably.”

Written by a screenwriter named Zicree “Twilight Zone Companion” Serling insisted to Fox News Digital that he is not a “dark, gloomy, damaged 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 turned 40, he returned to his battalion and jumped out of a paratrooper plane one more time to show he could still do it,” Zicry laughed. “He always had great love for his fellow veterans… [And] He was full of life and full of fun. He was lovingly present and loved his family. He had very close friends. He was a really great guy. ”

Dick York, famous for “Enchanted,'' who filmed “The Purple Testament'' in “The Twilight Zone.'' Director Rod Serling is shown between scenes. (CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images)

According to National World War II Museumone in three of Serling's regiment survived. He received the Bronze Star Award and the Purple Heart Award.

“As a writer, he was able to get rid of his worries through writing,” Zicree said. “There's a great episode in 'The Twilight Zone' called 'Purple Will.' It's about soldiers fighting in the Philippines during World War II, and you can see the faces of people who are about to die in battle. .”

“The Twilight Zone” aired from 1959 to 1964. (Archive Photo/Getty Images)

“He can see the strange lights that affect them and the fatigue in the souls of those soldiers. It feels so real and authentic,” he shared. “You can tell that the person who wrote that episode lived that experience. It's one of the best things ever written about war.”

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Rod Serling and his family arrive in New York City from Los Angeles around 1962. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Anne described Serling as a loving father who never let fame fool him and always put his family first.

“My father was completely different from what people imagine,” she said. “They see this dark image walking across the soundstage, but my dad was hilarious. He loved 'The Flintstones.'

Anne Serling celebrates her birthday with Rod Serling. (Courtesy of Ann Serling)

“He had a great singing voice. He belted out Sinatra and Tony Bennett. He was the best gorilla singer you could imagine, as evidenced in almost every home movie. I imitated him,” he told the audience. [member] Once I said, “You think you know me, but the truth is, I don't even like going into the attic unless the lights are on.''

WATCH: 'The Twilight Zone' star Rod Serling had PTSD, but was 'not a broken person'

“I have so many memories of my father that make me smile,” Anne continued. “One time, he lampshaded me and came down, which was just funny. The other thing was, when he got mad, he would leave the room and come back in about five minutes later and say, Said, Where is my twin brother?

Here, Rod Serling is seen presenting an episode of the television show “The Twilight Zone” in California, circa 1962. (CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images)

“Another great memory of mine is traveling to New York City with my dad. Every time we got in the elevator, my dad would say to me, 'This is from when I was a little older. I started saying that, and he started laughing like two fools.''

The screenwriter and producer quickly became one of television's most prolific and best-known writers. new york times Reported. Zicree said Serling had “mixed reactions” to his success in Hollywood.

Anne Serling had a deep bond with her father, Rod Serling. She claimed that he was not a dark and brooding figure, but rather a vibrant one. (Courtesy of Ann Serling)

“I do think he was proud of 'The Twilight Zone,'” he explained. “He felt that 'The Twilight Zone' accomplished the goal he set out to do. It was everything he cared about, everything he felt about life, humanity, love, death. , was about taking all the big real issues and incorporating them into my show.''

“But I think Hollywood can be…incredibly corrosive. It can break your heart, it can break your spirit. Rod was totally broken. It wasn't a man, but it certainly was. After “The Night Gallery,'' when he did major projects like “Night Gallery,'' he realized how unnecessarily cruel Hollywood is, how Hollywood is like all of us. I definitely felt like they didn't recognize the quality.”

Rod Serling would go on to inspire filmmakers such as Jordan Peele and M. Night Shyamalan. (via CBS, Getty Images)

“I wish there had never been a day when Rod Serling was rejected by our executives because he was a genius,” Zicree said. “But towards the end of his life, I don't think he thought 'The Twilight Zone' would stand the test of time. He said the same thing in interviews.”

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Rod Serling died in 1975 at the age of 50. (CBS via Getty Images)

“When I was writing [my book]”We interviewed over 100 people who worked on the show,” Zicree said. “Nobody had a bad word to say about Rod…nobody…everyone loved him in a town known for its bad taste, gossipy nature, and catfights.”

Anne said Serling was full of hope in his later years. He was excited to write novels and Broadway plays. “I always wanted to meet my grandchildren someday,'' he said.

“He felt very positive about his future,” she said. “My parents liked the change of seasons, so they talked about maybe staying out east longer.”

Rod Serling and Robbie the Robot, circa 1963. (CBS via Getty Images)

“He's not a wounded man, he's just crouching in the shadows,” Zicree exclaimed. “I think we're blessed that he worked in a medium where we can see his work…and the quality of 'The Twilight Zone' is what will sustain this work now and a hundred years from now.” If it was a tank with a robot body, we'd probably come back here and talk about how great Rod was.”