NORTH BERGEN, NJ, May 07, 2026 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Eric W. Crafton has been selected for inclusion in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

Mr. Crafton has built a distinguished career rooted in service, advocacy, and leadership in both the military and civilian sectors. Joining the North Bergen Police Department as a Police Officer in 2012, he devoted more than a decade to protecting his community with empathy and integrity before advancing to his current role. During this time, Mr. Crafton was twice named Officer of the Month and served in the Patrol and Community Relations Division, where building trust and connection with residents became a hallmark of his work. He was promoted to the rank of Police Sergeant in 2025.

Alongside his service to the Township of North Bergen, Mr. Crafton founded and now serves as President of the New Jersey Veteran Support Alliance. Having seen up close the crisis so many veterans face and the systemic gaps that fail them, he has worked relentlessly to connect them with the right resources. Mr. Crafton is deeply committed to healing not just the individual veteran but the whole family, a mission reflected in how he builds relationships with specialty physicians, expands networks for veterans' care, organizes community events to reduce isolation, plans monthly activities that foster camaraderie, and fights for those who have been denied benefits. His advocacy extends to partnering with veteran organizations and helping veterans obtain the medical treatment they need to reclaim their lives.

Mr. Crafton's professional journey also included serving as a military and veteran benefit consultant at LEW Environmental in Mine Hill, New Jersey, from 2023 to 2024, where he provided caring, personalized guidance to veterans and their families navigating complex benefit systems. Among other notable roles, Mr. Crafton was an influential adjunct professor at Central Texas College in Doha, Qatar, in 2019, contributing to educational programs that uplifted service members overseas. Earlier, he served as an educational outreach and funding specialist at the Office of Veterans Services at his alma mater, Fairleigh Dickinson University, from 2010 to 2011.

Mr. Crafton's own military service began in 2008 with the New Jersey Army National Guard, where he continues to serve with quiet dedication as a staff sergeant. Deployed to Qatar in 2019 as part of Operation Spartan Shield, he has also served as a transportation specialist with the 250th Brigade Support Battalion in Teaneck, New Jersey, always looking out for the soldiers beside him.

Highly educated, Mr. Crafton's academic background includes an associate degree, magna cum laude, from Hudson County Community College, a bachelor's degree, magna cum laude, from Seton Hall University, and a master's degree in administrative science in law enforcement administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Beyond his professional achievements, he has remained actively involved with civic organizations. He has served as the coordinator for Bergen County Tracers for several years, has volunteered for Special Olympics, has participated in law enforcement fundraising events, and among other initiatives, has served as a community outreach coordinator at the New Jersey COVID-19 Vaccine Megasite.

Further recognizing his commitment to worthy causes, Mr. Crafton's commitment to veterans has been reflected through his leadership roles as a senior vice commander of American Legion Post 18 and as the Benefits Advisor for the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) District 3. His dedication was formally recognized by the Bergen County Board of County Commissioners, which declared May 4, 2021, as Eric Crafton Day in Bergen County, New Jersey.

Among Mr. Crafton's most notable achievements has been while serving as the president of the New Jersey Veteran Service Alliance, where he had the opportunity to assist a female veteran who had been denied benefits three times after experiencing military sexual trauma. By connecting her with mental health experts and specialists for a comprehensive evaluation, he was instrumental in her ability to file a successful claim, ensuring she received the benefits she deserved and, more importantly, restoring her hope and dignity. And Eric Crafton doesn't stop at just helping the veteran. He believes that true healing involves the whole family, and through the New Jersey Veteran Support Alliance, he provides free family events like Broadway shows, water parks, and VR experiences, recognizing that many families simply cannot afford these moments of reconnection. The events give kids the chance to feel that special pride, knowing they are doing something really cool because their mom or dad served.

Mr. Crafton attributes his success to a deep passion for helping others and a sincere interest in law and government policy. While attending Seton Hall University and serving in the Army National Guard, he became involved in veterans' services out of necessity, receiving a partial scholarship to help fund his education. But it was as a junior enlisted soldier, when he took it upon himself simply out of goodwill to educate fellow soldiers about U.S. Army benefits, that his path became clear. That natural inclination to lift others led the director of veterans' services at Fairleigh Dickinson University to offer him a position at the Office of Veterans Services.

Recognizing his exemplary service, Mr. Crafton has received several honors, including the Meritorious Service Medal from the Army National Guard in 2020 and a Joint Resolution from the New Jersey State Senate and Assembly that same year. Looking ahead, Mr. Crafton intends to extend the reach of the New Jersey Veteran Service Alliance into neighboring states, such as New York and Pennsylvania, with aspirations of building a Tri-State Veterans Support Alliance, and from there, touching even more families in need. In everything he does, Eric Crafton remains guided by a mission to heal, strengthen, and bring hope to the families and communities he serves.

About Marquis Who's Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. The suite of Marquis® publications, including Who's Who in America® and Who's Who in the World®, remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the globe. Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who's Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.

# # #