Quil Lawrence
Quil Lawrence is a New York-based correspondent for NPR News, covering veterans' issues nationwide. He won a Robert F. Kennedy Award for his coverage of American veterans and a Gracie Award for coverage of female combat veterans. In 2019 Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America honored Quil with its IAVA Salutes Award for Leadership in Journalism.
Lawrence started his career in radio by interviewing con men in Tangier, Morocco. He then moved to Bogota, Colombia, and covered Latin America for NPR, the BBC, and The LA Times.
In the Spring of 2000, a Pew Fellowship sponsored his first trips to Iraq — that reporting experience eventually built the foundation for his first book, Invisible Nation: How the Kurds' Quest for Statehood is Shaping Iraq and the Middle East (Bloomsbury, 2009).
Lawrence has reported from throughout the Arab world and from Sudan, Cuba, Pakistan, Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank. He covered Iraq and Afghanistan for twelve years, serving as NPR's Bureau Chief in Baghdad and Kabul. He covered the fall of the Taliban in 2001, the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the second battle of Fallujah in 2004, as well as politics, culture, and war in both countries.
In 2012, Lawrence returned to the U.S. to cover the millions of men and women who have served at war, both recently and in past generations. NPR is possibly unique among major news organizations in dedicating a full-time correspondent to veterans and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
A native of Maine, Lawrence studied history at Brandeis University, with concentrations in the Middle East and Latin America. He is fluent in Spanish and conversant in Arabic.
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A report ordered by his own attorney general found that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women. Cuomo has denied wrongdoing and apologized for what he said were misunderstandings.
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A new report from New York's attorney general alleges that Gov. Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women and violated federal and state laws.
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Some 200 Afghan special visa holders and their families arrived in the U.S. Thursday. Many Afghans who worked with U.S. forces haven't left, and there have been reprisal killings by the Taliban.
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Thousands of Afghans who worked with U.S. forces were promised a U.S. visa in return. With American troops all but gone, it's unclear how the Biden administration will be able to keep that promise. -
Thousands of Afghans who have been promised U.S. visas are facing death threats from the Taliban, and the U.S. effort to evacuate them is facing daunting hurdles.
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Every day of Lyla Kohistany's life, her native country was at war. But the first time she really saw the place, she was a 25-year-old U.S. Navy intelligence officer. -
The war in Afghanistan changed the way the U.S. fights wars — especially in regards to civilian casualties. The latest episode of the NPR podcast Rough Translation tells the story of Marla Ruzicka.
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Six Days In Fallujah is based on the fight between U.S. troops and Iraqi opposition forces in 2004. The project was shelved for a decade, but the creator says it offers a serious look at the battle. -
As 20 years of war draw to a close, a divide separates those who served and those who haven't. The "civ-mil divide" can leave veterans alienated and civilians unfamiliar with what it means to serve. -
The new season of the NPR podcast Rough Translation focuses on the growing divide between civilians and the military. NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks to the podcast co-host Quil Lawrence.
