Sam Serling and his son, Rod
Rod Serling Was A Seasoned WWII Veteran And Was Awarded The Purple Heart
Joined the United States Army on January 16th, 1943
Was a paratrooper and served in the 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment in the Pacific theater
Was disappointed at being sent to the Pacific [Being Jewish, he wanted to fight the Germans instead]
Was wounded by a Japanese anti-aircraft artillery weapon while on the ground
The weapon was converted by the enemy for close quarters city fighting
Experienced ghastly and bizarre incidents during combat in WWII
Shot and killed a Japanese soldier who was standing on third base in a baseball stadium
The incident occurred at the Rizal Baseball Stadium in Manila, Philippines
Manila was the 2nd worst city, behind Warsaw, Poland, in all of WWII for civilian mortality
Removed thousands of pounds of dynamite from elaborate underground tunnels constructed by the Japanese
Saw his best friend decapitated by a food crate dropped on him from a U.S. resupply plane
Returned home from active duty January 13th, 1946 with the following decorations:
Purple Heart
Philippines Liberation Medal [w/battle star]
Asiatic Pacific Theater Medal [w/battle star]
American Campaign Medal
National Defense Medal
Overseas Service Bar
After WWII, he tested experimental parachutes for the U.S. Army at $500 per jump!