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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Veterans groups across the political spectrum have found a growing consensus in favor of winding down American military involvement in the Middle East.
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The House Judiciary Committee started the process of marking up articles of impeachment against President Trump. Also, British voters go to the polls and the latest on the Jersey City shootings.
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Dozens of women who work in special operations recently met in Southern California to find ways to encourage female troops to stay in the military or help them transition to rewarding civilian jobs.
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The office that is supposed to protect whistleblowers inside the Department of Veterans Affairs has instead put them at risk according to the VA inspector general's investigation.
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Dr. David Shulkin has written a memoir about his time as secretary of Veterans Affairs in the Trump administration. He says he was pushed out by people who favor privatizing the VA.
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Maj. Jason Brezler faced discharge after emailing classified documents over an insecure network. He challenged the Marine Corps' decision, and a board of inquiry recently ruled in his favor. -
Veterans are warning that the Department of Veterans Affairs has not resolved serious flaws in the way the program is administered. -
A major change in how the Department of Veterans Affairs uses private health care providers goes into effect Thursday amid concerns that it could drain resources from the VA into the private sector.
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Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., Iraq veteran and presidential candidate, revealed at a campaign event Tuesday that he was treated for PTSD after his deployment and he continues to see a counselor monthly.
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Attorney General Barr heads to Capitol Hill to testify. Also, Venezuela's opposition leader, Juan Guaidó, continues to mount his strongest calls yet to oust disputed President Nicolás Maduro.
