After some 20 years at Fox News, Harris Faulker reports that she is moving on in her professional career with a project she has never done before. The Emmy-winning newscaster shared intimate details with People Magazine about the production of her most personal project yet. The project chronicles her upbringing and how it was shaped by the formative years of her father, a former Army combat pilot in the Vietnam War.
Titled “Footsteps of My Father,” Faulker’s limited series premiered on Fox on May 16th and is now available for streaming on its website. She sat with People to describe how filming challenged her skills as an on-air talent.
“This is the most personal I have ever been in front of the camera,” she said. “Trekking my dad’s combat trail in Vietnam was almost too much for my heart to take at times. I carried his burial flag with me in my backpack. When I landed in Vietnam there was a rush of emotions. I missed my parents more than ever.”
“What I thought I knew about that war and his involvement ended up being just a tiny snapshot of the realities of fighting in a war that U.S. citizens would come to protest against. My father served two tours of duty in America’s mighty mission to preserve democracy in a faraway nation that was being swallowed up by the spread of communism. At home, our own nation was struggling with a violent racial divide,” Faulkner added.
“Yet, my father told his younger brothers and anyone who listened, ‘I chose to go fight for America because it was the best place on the planet to live. The U.S. Constitution clearly defines excellence and potential for America.’ He added, ‘The Civil Rights struggle is American freedom on the move.’ My father was a patriot,” she said.
In a three-episode series, Faulkner travels to Vietnam to speak with residents who experienced the war firsthand and now have a perspective on what America was attempting to achieve. Despite being under communist rule, the country continues to struggle with the challenges typical of a poorly governed third-world nation: low wages, unsafe working conditions, and a government that suppresses dissent.
“While I felt their kindness and openness to me and my Fox Nation team, they are a communist nation. In my special, you’ll see visible remnants and reinventions of that kind of government. And, you’ll actually hear my dad’s voice telling stories of his survival and near-misses in the war,” Faulker explained, noting further that her father passed away at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“My dad died Christmas Day of 2020. He was dressed for the day, looking sharp and at peace. The Lord has him now. Vietnam reminded me of my faith and my singular purpose to live a life that will deliver me to heaven to thank Dad with renewed vigor and understanding for his service to our great nation,” she added.
Revisiting her father’s experiences in the war is also aiding Faulkner and her husband in teaching their two teenage daughters to think critically about the current divisions within the nation and the intensifying international tensions between the U.S. and countries like Vietnam, which are influenced by China and other communist regimes.
“It’s wonderful that Bella and Danika get to witness me living out my career dreams as a TV news anchor and host of two shows, a bestselling author and more. I teach them to pray for peace, strength and discernment. And to surround themselves with kind, creative and hardworking friends. And I remind them that dream chasing is hard work!”
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