The Personal Toll of War
Throughout "Dispatches," Herr provides traumatic portrayals of the men directly effected by the war. As he suggests, the risk of war is more than physical casualty alone. The young men he describes are mentally anguished by the things they have experienced. While some of them are less than 20 years old, Herr writes that they look many years older. He suggests that many of these men will never be able to integrate back into society. Here Herr covers what has been termed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, though he does not use the name. In this way, he suggests that war has a tangible, horrifying effect on the individual solider, even if he leaves the war with no physical injury.
The Power of Friendship/Bonding
While the book contains many depressing images and themes, it also contains uplifting images of friendship and bonding. Herr fondly remembers experiences shared with Sean Flynn, Tim Page and Dana Stone, men he greatly admires. He describes the ways in he was influenced and inspired by the men for their bravery and energy. Despite the horrible scenario, the friends had many fun times huddled around a joint and listening to rock music. In this way, Herr suggests that friendship can transcend even the most dire situations.
Faulty American Imperialism
Herr does not avoid assigning blame for the conflict in Vietnam, and he points it towards the United States of America. He believes the conflict is misguided and wrong, and guided entirely by an inept American administration. Yet he does not suggest that this is a new concept. Rather, he compares the war in Vietnam to other abject moments in American history, such as the Trail of Tears. In this way, the novel stands as an important piece of protest literature.
The Power of Journalism
As a journalist, Herr is acutely aware of the ways in which war is represented. He documents how certain soundbites are picked up and disseminated by the media. By this measure, the media coverage of the Vietnam war is entirely biased and unoriginal. He therefore makes it his mission to provide an alternative depiction of the war that challenges traditional conceptions of 'truth' and 'accuracy.' Above all, he suggests that media is an incredibly powerful tool that can influence the public in a variety of manipulative fashions.
Culture as a Unifier
Some of the novel's most liveliest scenes are soundtracked by the music of 1960s bands like Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention and the Grateful Dead. Men of all stripes stationed in Vietnam loved the music and bonded while listening to it. Protest music provided the men an outlet to voice their frustrations and find commonality and in this sense, pop culture acts as a unifying force for the Americans in Vietnam.
