Councilmember Traci Park presented Jim Cragg with a certificate naming him Veteran of the Year.
Jim Cragg, a 30-year Army veteran and commander of American Legion Post 283, was named Citizen of the Year during a ceremony attended by city officials and residents at City Hall on November 14.
Lt. Colonel Cragg, a retired Army Reserve Officer, has been vital in Pacific Palisades’ path to recovery after the January 7 Palisades Fire.
He is a past commander of the Ronald Reagan American Legion Post 283, and after the fire, worked with Commander Joe Ramirez to open the legion hall to survivors. As one of the few standing buildings that could hold events in Pacific Palisades, he was essential in not only helping the public but also ensuring there was a recovery center.
In making the award, Councilmember Traci Park said, “Jim Cragg represents the very best of Pacific Palisades. His service to our country was extraordinary, but what has always stood out just as much is his service to this community.”
Park said, “In the aftermath of the Palisades Fire, Jim was one of the first people to step up – checking on neighbors, organizing resources and doing whatever it took to help people get through an unimaginable time.”
She added, “His integrity, courage and deep commitment to others make him a pillar of the Palisades, and our community is stronger because of him.”
Cragg said the scale of destruction left behind by the Palisades Fire reminded him of the conditions he saw overseas. “I was fortunate to learn a set of skills in 30 years of deploying around the world into austere environments, and God knows I really wish I didn’t have to bring that to my home,” he told NBC4 in an earlier interview.
A week ago, Cragg found out that he had won the 2025 Citizen of the Year award from the Pacific Palisades Community Council (PPCC).
In naming Cragg, the PPCC said he was being recognized for his visionary leadership in founding the Palisades Long Term Recovery Group, (https://paliltrg.org). LTRG was formed to help residents who need assistance after the fire with additional relief. Last week a senior luncheon was held, and resources were available to those who needed them.
PPCC wrote in a release, “from fighting the fire, to helping those who needed help, to working with the Army Corps of Engineers, Cragg was a constant presence in the Village. He ensured the Post building, one of the few standing structures that didn’t burn, was opened after the fire as a place of refuge, a place for workers to have meals, and a place for the community to meet.
In 2022, Cragg won a Sparkplug award from the community council for a six-month public-safety project that ensured every household in Pacific Palisades received a postcard about who and how to contact if there was an issue. He brought together the community and police in meetings so that both sides could better understand possible solutions.
In November 2021, he was honored as the Veteran of the Year during the UCLA Football Military Appreciation Game at the Rose Bowl.
Cragg joined the American Legion Ronald Reagan Post 283 in 2014 and became commander in 2020.
During his leadership, the Post at the corner of Swarthmore and LaCruz, underwent a nine-month $2 million renovation.
On Veterans Day he was in Santa Monica, with other veterans when Post 283 was honored for opening its doors during the Palisades Fire.
Cragg said, “We are proud to celebrate a Veterans Day in eyeshot of the hills of Palisades where we have been able to serve once again. As Veterans, our service isn’t a thing of the past. While the fires were ravaging our homes, we stepped forward. Our Post was still standing to house relief services, and our network was ready to communicate imagery for those needing to know if our homes survived.
“And in the weeks following, we stood ready to give hugs, help and guidance to those survivors that came into our Post that we tagged as the Palisades Wildfire Community Support Center,” Cragg said. “We as Veterans stand on the shoulders of the millions of Veterans who went before us, and we are proud to carry that forward supporting our neighbors and fellow survivors.”
A 1988 grad of El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills, Cragg was in Army Special Operations including deployment to Afghanistan. He returned to the United States in 1997 and opened a sewing company called S.O. Tech — Special Operations Technologies — to make protective military gear.
A resident of Pacific Palisades, Cragg and Dr. Susan Marusak have a daughter, Charley.
(Left to right) Celebrating Veterans Day at Santa Monica were Legionnaire Jason Mayor, Post 283 Commander Joe Ramirez, General Bryan P. Fenton, Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, Past 283 Commander Jim Cragg, and representatives from the Army Corps of Engineers LTC Baker and an unidentified first Lieutenant. Photo: RICH SCHMITT
Well deserved! In over 30 years living in and above the alphabet streets I had never stepped foot inside the legion. (I am not a veteran and neither were my parents or grandparents – just a cousin). I could cry thinking of how they completely opened their brand new beautiful clean remodeled building and how much they have given to ALL our community members since the fires. Having that hub with all that help and support is beyond words. Thank you Jim Cragg and the American Legion Post 283 with all my heart. You are now the absolute center of our Palisades!