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 list of potential nominees to head the Department of Veterans Affairs is growing, though none of them appear to be an easy confirmation.
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The Department of Veterans Affairs still lacks a secretary and many inside and outside the vast agency say a lack of leadership is affecting its mission.
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Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson was tapped by President Trump to replace David Shulkin, who was fired in March. Now, the Veterans Affairs Department awaits its fourth secretary in four years.
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Democrats on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee had released a document detailing allegations against Jackson, who said the list was "baseless" and an attack on his character and integrity.
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The president intends to nominate Navy Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, the White House physician, to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs.
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American soldiers in Vietnam killed more than 500 civilians in a period of four hours on March 16, 1968, in the village of My Lai. The atrocity continues to challenge America's image of itself.
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A sting by the Washington state attorney general has proved what was long believed through anecdotal evidence to be rampant — housing discrimination against veterans.
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After President Trump said Americans should stand for the national anthem, the organization AMVETS issued a TV spot called "Please Stand." It says it's been misunderstood and politicized.
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A "cross-partisan" group called With Honor has formed to support military veterans running for Congress. The group hopes to assist 25 to 35 candidates from both parties in 2018 elections.
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Dozens of Puerto Ricans from all walks of life pulled up lawn chairs and stools in the middle of the street in San Juan to watch the final game between the Houston Astros and the L.A. Dodgers.