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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President Trump has ordered a Veterans Affairs campus in West Los Angeles to house 6,000 homeless vets by 2028, but details are elusive. -
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. -
The VA Servicing Purchase program has helped about 20,000 veterans avoid foreclosure. But Republicans in Congress have been critical of the program, saying it puts too much taxpayer money at risk. -
Researchers at the Department of Veterans Affairs warn that crucial medical research is in jeopardy unless the Trump administration reverses course on cuts. -
The Defense Department has announced new senior level positions after recent firings and resignations. But with Pentagon head Pete Hegseth under fire for missteps, the way ahead is still unclear. -
Military lawyers question Pentagon head Pete Hegseth's defense that he didn't share anything revealing in Signal chat group with his wife and brother. -
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared sensitive military information last month in two Signal group chats. Now, a U.S. official tells NPR a search is underway to replace Hegseth.
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This comes as Hegseth is again mired in controversy over sharing military operational details in a group chat. -
In an effort to reach across political divides, a group of veterans has been holding regular gatherings to talk about it — all over a beer. They call the events "Pints and Patriotism."
