Accessibility links
Quil Lawrence Quil Lawrence is a New York-based correspondent for NPR News, covering veterans' issues nationwide.
Quil Lawrence square
Stories By

Quil Lawrence

Suicide Hotline Fights To Keep Vets And Troops Alive

David Easterling, manager of the Suicide Prevention Program at Fort Riley in Kansas spray-paints Army boots white in 2009 as part of an on-base display to commemorate the six Fort Riley soldiers who committed suicide in 2008. Chris Hondros/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Chris Hondros/Getty Images

The Impact of War

Suicide Hotline Fights To Keep Vets And Troops Alive

For the first time in a decade of war, more active-duty troops took their own lives this year than died fighting in Afghanistan. The national suicide hotline is one way the Department of Veterans Affairs is trying to help troops and vets.

Suicide Hotline Fights To Keep Vets And Troops Alive

Listen · 4:50
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/168070269/168220936" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

The Impact of War

For Veterans, The Wait For Disability Claims Grows Longer

The Department of Veterans Affairs wanted to reduce a backlog in veterans' claims for disability benefits. Instead, the problem has worsened this year, in part, the VA says, because the department made it easier for more vets to file claims.

For Veterans, The Wait For Disability Claims Grows Longer

Listen · 4:16
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/168069322/168089415" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Shootings In Newtown, Conn.

Newtown Shooter Had No Connection To School

Police continued to investigate the mass shooting at Newtown, Conn., on Monday, as the town started to bury the victims. Robert Siegel talks to Quil Lawrence.

Newtown Shooter Had No Connection To School

Listen · 4:12
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/167479055/167479024" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

National

Ct. Authorities Release Few Shooting Details

Police continue to investigate why Adam Lanza killed 26 students and staffers at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Ct. Lanza then killed himself. Police are holding the details of their investigation close.

Ct. Authorities Release Few Shooting Details

Listen · 4:12
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/167427978/167427949" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

National

Residents In Conn. Town Struggle As Details Emerge

The nation is reeling from yesterday's deadly shooting, nowhere more than in the community of Newtown, Conn. Police have been cautiously releasing details about the killings. Many local residents are also just learning the facts of what happened, as they try to carry on with life.

Residents In Conn. Town Struggle As Details Emerge

Listen · 3:53
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/167346766/167346747" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Shootings In Newtown, Conn.

Newtown Holds Prayer Vigil For Shooting Victims

Robert Siegel talks to Quil Lawrence about a prayer vigil held for victims of the elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn.

Newtown Holds Prayer Vigil For Shooting Victims

Listen · 3:02
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/167298993/167299030" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

National

Brooklyn Neighborhood Wants Its Heat Turned On

Two weeks since Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast, nearly 200,000 people remain without power along the eastern seaboard. Many also have no heat as the winter approaches. In Brooklyn, FEMA is registering people in Red Hook to see if they qualify for federal aid.

Brooklyn Neighborhood Wants Its Heat Turned On

Listen · 2:03
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/164940214/164940619" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Veterans Deploy To Northeast After Superstorm Sandy

Veterans from around the country have deployed to the Northeast to help after Superstorm Sandy. Jeff Blaney (left) of San Francisco was in the Army and Jamie Havig was a Navy medic attached to the Marines in Iraq. Quil Lawrence/NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Quil Lawrence/NPR

Superstorm Sandy: Before, During And Beyond

Veterans Deploy To Northeast After Superstorm Sandy

The military veterans who have been cleaning up and rebuilding in New York and New Jersey say that volunteering helps them as much as it supports the local residents. They say getting back into a chaotic environment with a clear and worthwhile mission helps with the transition to civilian life.

Veterans Deploy To Northeast After Superstorm Sandy

Listen · 3:16
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/164887664/164894046" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Elections

New York To Allow Voters To Cast Ballots By Affidavit

Governor Andrew Cuomo agreed to issue an executive order to allow voters to cast ballots at any polling site, even outside their neighborhoods. Voters will sign affidavits that they're legally registered to vote. Some polling places were rendered unusable by Hurricane Sandy. Melissa Block talks to Quil Lawrence for more.

New York To Allow Voters To Cast Ballots By Affidavit

Listen · 2:34
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/164367906/164368617" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Elections

Many New Yorkers Still Unsure Of Where To Vote

A day before the election, some storm-stricken New Yorkers were trying to figure out where to vote. Meanwhile, the New York City Board of Elections is under pressure to make things run smoothly.

Many New Yorkers Still Unsure Of Where To Vote

Listen · 3:30
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/164362210/164362187" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

National

Race Canceled, Marathoners Run For Storm Relief

New York city Mayor Michael Bloomberg said today that 30,000 to 40,000 people are homeless in his city after the storm. He compared the scope to hurricane Katrina. On Sunday, many New Yorkers who had planned to watch or run in the cancelled New York city marathon instead looked for ways to help. The closest hard-hit area for many was Staten Island, connected to Manhattan by a Ferry.

Race Canceled, Marathoners Run For Storm Relief

Listen · 3:22
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/164293962/164293953" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Elections

N.Y., N.J. Scramble To Ensure Voting Is Possible

Superstorm Sandy is interfering with planning for Election Day in New York and New Jersey. Though neither of the reliably Democratic states is expected to decide the presidential election, authorities are trying to find ways for millions of voters to cast ballots.

N.Y., N.J. Scramble To Ensure Voting Is Possible

Listen · 3:08
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/164157339/164157312" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Vet Walks On New Legs, With A Little Help From Mom

Nick Staback, who lost both of his legs to a bomb in Afghanistan, talks with his mother, Maria Staback, in Scranton, Pa. Maria Staback took a leave of absence from her job to move in with her son while he was recuperating at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center outside Washington, D.C. David Gilkey/NPR hide caption

toggle caption
David Gilkey/NPR

The Impact of War

Vet Walks On New Legs, With A Little Help From Mom

On a foot patrol in Kandahar, Nick Staback lost both of his legs after he stepped on a homemade bomb. Over the next year, his mother, Maria, became a tough coach as he learned to walk on two prosthetic legs, and together they adjusted to what she calls the "new normal" for their family.

Vet Walks On New Legs, With A Little Help From Mom

Listen · 5:30
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/163469815/163528056" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Vets Seek Specifics On How Candidates Would Help

Veterans applaud at an Oct. 8 campaign event in Swanton, Ohio, for Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan. Health care and unemployment are among veterans' chief concerns this election season, and both the Obama and the Romney campaigns have offered solutions. Mary Altaffer/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Mary Altaffer/AP

Solve This

Vets Seek Specifics On How Candidates Would Help

Military veterans across the country have a whole range of concerns this election season, from the high rate of suicide to special challenges for female vets. But like everyone else, they're especially concerned with health care and jobs.

Vets Seek Specifics On How Candidates Would Help

Listen · 3:55
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/162988694/162988681" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript