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 bipartisan Congress has come to the rescue of vets at risk of losing their homes, after administrations from both parties tore up VA safety nets for homeowners. -
If you're a veteran who has been charged a fee to get help on your application for a VA disability rating or other benefits, NPR wants to hear from you! -
An Afghan who helped U.S. military forces at war was arrested by ICE agents after appearing for an immigration hearing in San Diego. He may now face deportation despite death threats from the Taliban.
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NPR has heard from more than 50 veterans around the country who are upset about the VA cutting a program that was helping vets avoid foreclosure. Veterans now have worse options than most Americans. -
Veteran advocates fought for decades to close a loophole with the GI Bill that made veterans a target of for-profit universities. Trump's budget bill has language to bring that loophole back.
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President Trump has ordered a Veterans Affairs campus in West Los Angeles to house 6,000 homeless vets by 2028, but details are elusive. -
LA has the highest number of homeless veterans in the U.S. For decades, advocates have fought for housing for them. Now, they're hoping a Trump administration executive order will change everything.
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Veterans and others express outrage as the Trump administration ends special protective status for Afghans who had relocated to the U.S. -
As the Department of Veterans Affairs tries to meet President Trump's goal of cutting 15% of staff, vets are concerned there won't be enough doctors and nurses. -
For the first time since his confirmation, Secretary of VA Doug Collins appeared before the Senate VA committee, after three months of controversial VA policy announcements.
