In the quiet stillness of a family living room, the world can change with just a few words. For Harris Faulkner, the Emmy Award-winning journalist and TV host, that moment came when her father knelt beside her and said the sentence that would forever etch itself into her soul: “My daughter, I might never come back.”

She was just a young girl then. Her father, Lieutenant Colonel Bob Harris, was about to leave for Vietnam — not for the first time, but for what felt like the most uncertain time. And though he tried to mask the fear in his voice, that sentence held all the weight of war, fatherhood, and the fragility of life.

That moment became the spark of a lifetime of reflection, and eventually the emotional core of Faulkner’s memoir and life guide, 9 Rules of Engagement: A Military Brat’s Guide to Life and Success. But more than a book, it’s a tribute — to a man who wore the uniform not just on foreign soil, but in the hallways of his own home.

The Weight of the Uniform

Military families live with a dual reality: the pride of service and the pain of separation. Children of soldiers often grow up quicker than others, learning the unspoken rituals of resilience, discipline, and self-reliance. For Harris, every new base, every goodbye, every silence at the dinner table during deployment taught her a new rule for life.

Unlike some children who may take stability for granted, Harris grew up knowing that her father’s job came with risks that could never fully be understood at her age. She learned to cherish the time they had, to honor his absence with strength, and to hold tight to the values he lived by.

Her father’s military career spanned three tours in Vietnam. He was a man decorated not only with medals, but with dignity — and an unwavering belief in service before self. Whether overseeing missions or teaching his children about integrity at the kitchen table, his leadership never wavered.

Rules to Live By

From the shadows of jet planes and bunkers to the sunlit halls of news studios, Faulkner carried her father’s principles with her. Each lesson he passed on, directly or indirectly, became a rule of engagement not just for war, but for life.

In her book, she breaks down nine core principles — not abstract philosophies, but actionable values that anyone, civilian or soldier, can apply. These include:

Engage with intention: Be present in every action and interaction.

Know your terrain: Understand your environment, whether it’s a war zone or a workplace.

Stay mission-focused: Distractions are the enemy of success.

These aren’t just slogans from a military manual. They’re the truths that held Faulkner together during some of the most challenging moments of her personal and professional life — from navigating competitive newsrooms to grieving the eventual loss of her beloved father.

Behind the News Desk, A Soldier’s Daughter

It might surprise some viewers of Outnumbered or The Faulkner Focus to know that the calm, commanding voice behind the camera was once a little girl terrified her father might never return home. But perhaps it’s exactly that contrast — the vulnerability beneath the confidence — that makes her such a compelling storyteller.

Faulkner often credits her father for her work ethic, her decisiveness, and her ability to lead under pressure. She recalls how he used to drill her not just in chores but in conversation, encouraging her to speak with clarity, to stand her ground, and to never forget who she was — even when the world tried to tell her otherwise.

That voice — the one strengthened in military housing, sharpened in childhood transitions, and matured through national headlines — now inspires millions of viewers. And through her memoir, it continues to echo, long after the cameras stop rolling.

Everyone Serves

One of the most poignant truths Harris Faulkner explores in her book is that in military families, everyone serves. While the uniform may be worn by one, the sacrifice is shared by all.

Spouses hold the household together while navigating the daily unknown. Children grow up in unfamiliar towns, often without one parent at home for long stretches. Each family member adapts, adjusts, and ultimately contributes to the greater mission.

And yet, they do it with pride.

In her writing, Faulkner shares stories not only from her own life but from other military families who’ve faced the same aching goodbyes and tearful reunions. She interviews generals, spouses, and children who speak of the invisible weight they carry — and the invisible strength they develop.

A Memoir That Teaches

9 Rules of Engagement isn’t just about military life. It’s about building a code for living well. It’s about leadership in the face of uncertainty, grace under pressure, and love that endures across continents and decades.

Through her personal anecdotes, Harris lays bare the moments that shaped her — not with bitterness or regret, but with clarity and compassion. She wants readers to not only understand her journey but to find tools for their own.

As you flip through the pages, you don’t just meet a journalist. You meet a daughter, a student, a young girl once gripped by fear — who later became a woman fueled by purpose.

The Legacy Lives On

The last words Harris’s father spoke before leaving for Vietnam may have carried fear. But what they left behind was a legacy — not of loss, but of love.

In honoring him, Harris Faulkner honors every soldier who has served and every family who has stood beside them. Her story is one of memory and mission, of heartbreak and healing — and most of all, of the quiet power passed from parent to child, one life lesson at a time.

And in that transmission, in those sacred moments of goodbye and return, her father’s voice lives on — in her work, in her words, and now, in a book meant to help others rise.