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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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.
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Wisconsin created the Green Alert - a statewide call-out when family, friends or caregivers report a troubled veteran is missing. That may save lives, but it exposes a personal crisis to all. -
President Trump's attack on the late Sen. John McCain included an inaccurate claim about McCain's role in reforming the VA. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., called Trump's remarks "deplorable." -
Sen. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., revealed she was the victim of sexual assault in the military. She joins a growing number of female veterans who are defying a long-standing code of silence.
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The VA has published new rules on how it will spend billions of dollars on private health care. Proponents say it will give veterans more choices, but others fear it's a move toward privatization. -
The Department of Veterans Affairs released rules for a law that changes how the VA pays for outside, private care. Critics say the move is a stealth effort to privatize the VA.
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Navy veterans who served off the coast of Vietnam were long denied benefits for exposure to Agent Orange. A federal appeals court now has ruled that service at sea was the same as service on land. -
Hundreds of veterans sued military contractor KBR Inc., alleging toxic smoke from burn pits at military bases made them ill. A federal appellate court said compensation must come from Congress. -
The temporary suspension comes three days after a report from NPR exposed concern from veterans that their caregivers were arbitrarily cut, despite no change in their status.
