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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McDonough, who did not serve in the military, is a longtime aide of former President Barack Obama. -
The newest monument on the National Mall, which opens on Veterans Day, will provide a quiet shrine for Native vets to visit. Native Americans have traditionally served in high numbers. -
According to exit polls four years ago, Donald Trump won the votes of military veterans by a big margin. NPR discusses whether they will help the president stay in office.
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Despite this year's Gold Star event landing amid the pandemic, the White House didn't cancel it. President Trump says when he met these family members, he couldn't bear to keep them at arms-length. -
New York's governor has overruled some of Mayor Bill de Blasio's plans for combating the coronavirus. The two disagree over allowing businesses in some neighborhoods to keep operating as cases rise.
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Homelessness among veterans has dropped by about half in the past decade. Now there's concern that some of that progress could unravel, with the effects of the pandemic and economic crash.
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The Trump Administration's new suicide prevention strategy mentions the touchy subject of gun-safety. It will aim to fight the stigma around people seeking help during a mental health crisis. -
The White House's new suicide prevention plan for veterans includes restricting access to guns. It's politically charged, but experts say it's the most obvious way to help.
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Trump Administration Clears For-Profit Colleges To Register Veterans AgainThe Department of Veterans Affairs is no longer blocking several schools that the Federal Trade Commission penalized for deceptive advertising from enrolling GI Bill students. -
As The Country Reexamines Statues And Symbols, The VA Resists A Gender-Neutral MottoThe Department of Veterans Affairs has a male-focused motto that some veterans and lawmakers say needs updating.
