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 officer, 39-year-old David Afanador, was suspended the same day the cellphone video appeared to show him choking a Black man on a Queens boardwalk.
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Video shows an officer using an apparent chokehold on a man who had been shouting invective at passersby and police. Chokeholds have been banned in New York City since 1993.
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The mayor of Atlanta announced the resignation of the city's police chief, just hours after police shot and killed a black man outside a fast food restaurant.
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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has approved changes that have been vehemently opposed by police unions for years — including allowing the public to access police officers' past disciplinary records.
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Some military officials have come out against the deployment of active-duty troops to police nationwide protests. Others, including some army veterans, have supported the idea.
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Memorial Day Honor Flights Canceled Because Of Coronavirus CrisisThousands of people who were planning to visit war memorials in Washington, D.C., on Memorial Day had to cancel this year. That includes veterans traveling with the nonprofit network Honor Flight.
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Veterans' homes have been ravaged by the virus. The VA has just announced new rules for its caregivers program, but veterans' groups fear thousands will be left behind.
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The Department of Veterans Affairs has been criticized for its lack of preparation and response to the coronavirus crisis and how its serving its vulnerable population.
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Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie says his health system is not overwhelmed, but it has been forced to ration protective gear.
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Veterans Affairs head Robert Wilkie responded to claims that his staff lack protective gear. He says the VA is fulfilling its "fourth mission" of providing a health care backstop for the U.S.