"Although I wasn't able to get a visa for Vietnam, I was able to talk with swift boat veterans to get a feel for the time and place, and I visited a tropical prison in the Philippines to get a sense of what a Vietnamese prison might have been like"

This quote by Tony Hillerman speaks with the lengths he went to in order to properly depict the Vietnam War in his writing. Despite not having the ability to get a visa to go to Vietnam, he was still able to gain a sense of the time and place by speaking to speedy boat veterans. He also checked out a tropical jail in the Philippines to get a feel for what a Vietnamese jail might have resembled. This shows his dedication to accurately portraying the Vietnam War in his writing, and his willingness to go above and beyond to make sure that his work was as accurate as possible. Hillerman's commitment to accuracy and detail is a testimony to his ability as an author and his devotion to his craft.