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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The Senate voted on a $280 billion package of care for veterans exposed to toxins from agent orange in Vietnam. It's a rare moment of bipartisan action and the largest expansion of VA care in history.
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The countries share a border. Along the frontier, residents say a new barrier has disrupted everything from Arctic climate action and nuclear waste control to trade and cross-border sports leagues. -
Troops from 27 countries wrapped up one of the largest NATO war games since the 1980s — in the Arctic. Russia's war in Ukraine made the exercise feel like more than a game.
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President Biden's son was one of many veterans who may have been sickened by burn pits. Advocates say the White House and Congress have been slow to officially link the health problems to the pits.
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Momentum on increased Veterans Affairs coverage for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits is building in Congress. None of it soon enough for sick veterans or advocates like comedian Jon Stewart.
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New York City Mayor Bill deBlasio has announced what he called a "pre-emptive strike" before the winter — a vaccine mandate for private sector employers.
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Ian Fishback was a Green Beret who exposed torture by U.S. troops in Iraq. After serving four combat tours and earning a Ph.D. in philosophy, Fishback died last month in a nursing home. He was 42.
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With the nation's health care system strained by the pandemic, veterans with medical skills say red tape prevents them from using their military credentials to qualify for civilian jobs.
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Veterans, along with the rest of the country, see long waits for mental health and other specialty care. Veterans Affairs has announced it will redesign how it schedules and pays for private care.
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The White House now says it failed to evacuate most of America's Afghan allies in the airlift from Kabul. Even those evacuated may be stuck in immigration limbo for years unless Congress takes action.
