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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Lawmakers grilled the head of the VA home loan program this week about a self-inflicted error with the department's COVID forbearance program that left thousands of veterans in danger of foreclosure. -
After NPR broke this story in October, the Veterans Affairs halted foreclosures for thousands of vets who were unfairly about to lose their homes. Lawmakers hold a hearing to demand answers.
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A year ago NPR talked with two former U.S. Army Rangers who started a jewelry company. After Taylor Swift wore one of their bracelets at a football game, their sales jumped 2,000%. -
A year ago NPR talked with two former U.S. Army Rangers who want to be the Warby Parker of engagement rings. After a Taylor Swift endorsement, sales have skyrocketed.
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Senators are introducing a bill to help thousands of veterans who, through no fault of their own, were left facing foreclosure when a VA COVID-assistance program ended abruptly. -
Maj. Gen. Gregg Martin led troops in Iraq while a second battle front opened inside his own mind. Now retired, he's fighting to break down the military taboo on getting help. -
This retired two-star general who led troops in combat is now on a mission to let veterans know there is life after a bipolar diagnosis.
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A pause in foreclosures after an NPR investigation may be of no help to many vets. They were already pushed into costly loan modifications after a move by the VA stranded them in a tough spot. -
The Department of Veterans Affairs is intervening on behalf of 6,000 homeowners with VA loans who are in the foreclosure process. Many more are delinquent. The move follows an investigation by NPR. -
A massive VA campus in West Los Angeles is finally housing hundreds of vets, and may finally change the city's worst-in-the-nation status on veterans homelessness.
