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J.P. Lawrence

J.P. Lawrence is a downrange reporter covering Afghanistan and Iraq.

Lawrence joined Stripes in 2018. He previously reported for the San Antonio Express and Albany Times Union. He has written in the U.S. and Africa for the New York Review of Books, Vice, the Intercept and the Associated Press. He served in the U.S. Army and went to Bard College and Columbia University in New York.

Email: lawrence.jp@stripes.com

Frank Cohn, a 95-year-old retired Army colonel who survived the Holocaust, is slated to receive one of the top honors for military police, the Order of the Marechaussee, from the Military Police Regimental Association on Sept. 29, 2020.<br>U.S. Army
Frank Cohn, a 95-year-old retired Army colonel who survived the Holocaust, is slated to receive one of the top honors for military police, the Order of the Marechaussee, from the Military Police Regimental Association on Sept. 29, 2020.<br>U.S. Army

US Army veteran who escaped Holocaust to receive military police honor

Frank Cohn was drafted during World War II into the U.S. Army, which assigned him to work as an intelligence agent, interrogating Nazis arrested for war crimes.

Afghan army soldiers run for position during a firefight with Taliban gunmen in Kunduz city in October 2015. Afghan forces retained control of Kunduz on Saturday, April 16, 2016, after Taliban forces tried to recapture the city.<br>Josh Smith/Stars and Stripes
Afghan army soldiers run for position during a firefight with Taliban gunmen in Kunduz city in October 2015. Afghan forces retained control of Kunduz on Saturday, April 16, 2016, after Taliban forces tried to recapture the city.<br>Josh Smith/Stars and Stripes

Civilians reported killed in airstrike by Afghan military

No U.S. air assets were involved in the strike, a spokesman for NATO Resolute Support said Sunday in a statement.

Air Force Tech. Sgt. Franklin Wetmore, of the 202nd Engineering Installation Squadron, 116th Air Control Wing, Georgia Air National Guard, was awarded the Purple Heart by Maj. Gen. Thomas Carden, Adjutant General of the Georgia Department of Defense, during a ceremony at the Museum of Aviation, Warner Robins, Ga., on Sept. 13, 2020. Wetmore earned the medal for service and wounds received during a Taliban attack on Bagram Airfield in December. <br>Nancy Goldberger/U.S. Air National Guard
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Franklin Wetmore, of the 202nd Engineering Installation Squadron, 116th Air Control Wing, Georgia Air National Guard, was awarded the Purple Heart by Maj. Gen. Thomas Carden, Adjutant General of the Georgia Department of Defense, during a ceremony at the Museum of Aviation, Warner Robins, Ga., on Sept. 13, 2020. Wetmore earned the medal for service and wounds received during a Taliban attack on Bagram Airfield in December. <br>Nancy Goldberger/U.S. Air National Guard

Georgia Air National Guardsman receives Purple Heart connected to Taliban attack on Bagram Airfield

Air Force Tech. Sgt. Franklin Wetmore was hurt in a December explosion, but, in spite of the injury, he provided security to more than 500 personnel who were hunkered down in a terminal during an attack.

Sanitation workers with Malika and Refa Environmental Solutions unload wastewater from the Resolute Support NATO Headquarters to be processed at a treatment plant about 10 miles outside of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Sept. 2, 2020.<br>J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes
Sanitation workers with Malika and Refa Environmental Solutions unload wastewater from the Resolute Support NATO Headquarters to be processed at a treatment plant about 10 miles outside of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Sept. 2, 2020.<br>J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes

Sewage from US Embassy, NATO headquarters dumped into Kabul River due to aging infrastructure

The only public facility in Kabul for sewage treatment hasn’t worked for almost two years because of poor maintenance, leading to untreated wastewater being dumped into the river and endangering the health of thousands of families, Afghan officials said.

Workers pick through trash from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul on Aug. 17, 2020 at what the Afghan government says is an illegal dump, two miles east of the airport.<br>J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes
Workers pick through trash from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul on Aug. 17, 2020 at what the Afghan government says is an illegal dump, two miles east of the airport.<br>J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes

Afghan government says company that handles US Embassy waste is operating illegally

A company contracted by the American Embassy in Kabul is operating without a license and illegally dumping garbage, posing a threat to the environment and health, Afghan officials said.

Workers pick through trash from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul on Aug. 17, 2020 at what the Afghan government says is an illegal dump, two miles east of the airport.<br>J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes
Workers pick through trash from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul on Aug. 17, 2020 at what the Afghan government says is an illegal dump, two miles east of the airport.<br>J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes

Afghan government says company that handles US Embassy waste is operating illegally

A company contracted by the American Embassy in Kabul is operating without a license and illegally dumping garbage, posing a threat to the environment and health, Afghan officials said.

Spc. Clark Choate with the 501st Infantry Regiment takes a nap in the back of a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle returning to Combat Outpost Sabari, Afghanistan, after a patrol in 2012. Taking cat naps during the day to catch up on sleep is not as good for the brain as getting a good night's sleep, and could lead to neurological disorders like Alzheimer's disease and dementia, a study has found.<br>Stars and Stripes
Spc. Clark Choate with the 501st Infantry Regiment takes a nap in the back of a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle returning to Combat Outpost Sabari, Afghanistan, after a patrol in 2012. Taking cat naps during the day to catch up on sleep is not as good for the brain as getting a good night's sleep, and could lead to neurological disorders like Alzheimer's disease and dementia, a study has found.<br>Stars and Stripes

Daytime naps not as good for the brain as a good night’s sleep, Army study shows

The brain is better at flushing out toxins during normal sleeping hours, according to a new study.

Spc. Mario Davis, left, and Spc. Barry Josey of the 10th Mountain Division, watch a mountain pass February 2004, as they try to intercept Taliban fighters. Veterans of the war are divided about the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, with some bitter that the pull-out was born out of a deal with the enemy they fought, while others say it's time to end American involvement in a wasteful war.<br>Stars and Stripes
Spc. Mario Davis, left, and Spc. Barry Josey of the 10th Mountain Division, watch a mountain pass February 2004, as they try to intercept Taliban fighters. Veterans of the war are divided about the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, with some bitter that the pull-out was born out of a deal with the enemy they fought, while others say it's time to end American involvement in a wasteful war.<br>Stars and Stripes

19 years after 9/11, many Americans who fought in Afghanistan are torn over US pullout

Nineteen years after the attacks of 9/11, some American veterans of the war in Afghanistan wrestle with the idea that the pull-out of U.S. troops from the country was born out of a deal struck with the very enemy more than 2,400 of their brothers and sisters died fighting.

Ambrose ''Cowboy'' Anderson, 95, left, of Gloversville, N.Y., receives the New York State Liberty Medal from state Sen. Jim Tedisco, Aug. 28, 2020. Anderson was one of the Montford Point Marines who endured discrimination while serving during World War II, including at the Battle of Iwo Jima.<br>Jim Tedisco/Facebook
Ambrose ''Cowboy'' Anderson, 95, left, of Gloversville, N.Y., receives the New York State Liberty Medal from state Sen. Jim Tedisco, Aug. 28, 2020. Anderson was one of the Montford Point Marines who endured discrimination while serving during World War II, including at the Battle of Iwo Jima.<br>Jim Tedisco/Facebook

Pioneering Black Marine veteran of Iwo Jima honored on 95th birthday

A 95-year-old veteran who was one of the nation’s first African American U.S. Marines received a medal and a car parade from the New York Senate as a birthday present.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper, among others, hold a press conference during the 2020 Australia-U.S. Ministerial consultations at the State Department, July 28, 2020. A letter was sent to both of their departments Monday demanding they provide witnesses to testify at a Sept. 9 hearing in Congress on the war in Afghanistan and the peace process.<br>Marvin Lynchard/Defense Department
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper, among others, hold a press conference during the 2020 Australia-U.S. Ministerial consultations at the State Department, July 28, 2020. A letter was sent to both of their departments Monday demanding they provide witnesses to testify at a Sept. 9 hearing in Congress on the war in Afghanistan and the peace process.<br>Marvin Lynchard/Defense Department

Pentagon and State Department could be compelled to testify on Afghanistan war, House Democrats say

A letter sent to Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo demanded the military and State Department provide witnesses to testify at a Sept. 9 hearing in Congress.

Two Ugandan contractors guard an American base in the Middle East in 2006. Of some 300 Ugandan guards at Operating Base Fenty near Jalalabad, in eastern Afghanistan, a majority tested positive for the coronavirus in June.<br>U.S. Army
Two Ugandan contractors guard an American base in the Middle East in 2006. Of some 300 Ugandan guards at Operating Base Fenty near Jalalabad, in eastern Afghanistan, a majority tested positive for the coronavirus in June.<br>U.S. Army

Ugandan guards evacuated from US base in Afghanistan after positive coronavirus tests now waiting to go home

A majority of the roughly 300 Ugandan guards who man watchtowers and provide security at entry points at a U.S. base in eastern Afghanistan have tested positive for the coronavirus, a lawyer and several guards said.