Former Sgt. Norton Scholarship recipient raising funds for mural restoration

Wyatt Mendel received a Sgt. Justin Norton Memorial Scholarship in 2011 as a Yelm High School graduate.

Nearly 15 years later, he’s ready to return the gesture.

“It meant a lot to me,” Mendel said of the $500 scholarship in a conversation with the Nisqually Valley News on Wednesday, April 2.

“I remember that it paid for two or three of my organic chemistry books at the time, which were pretty expensive. Since I’ve been back, I’ve been wanting to work more with their foundation just because they were like one of three people a long time ago who believed in me,” he said.

Mendel is starting with the well-known mural of Sgt. Justin Norton, located alongside state Route 507 on a lower segment of the train trestle bridge in Rainier. He says the mural is in need of restoration.

Sgt. Justin Norton was a Rainier local who graduated with honors from Rainier High School in 2003. He joined the Army that same year as a 19D, Cavalry Scout, and was soon promoted to the rank of sergeant. He deployed to Iraq in November 2005.

On June 24, 2006, Norton was killed in action by an improvised explosive device while on patrol in Baghdad. He was 21 years old.

Norton’s many awards and decorations include the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon, Combat Action Badge, the Expert Rifle Marksmanship Badge and others.

Norton’s parents, mother Chris Warnock and stepfather Gary Warnock, have carried on his legacy. Since 2006, the Sgt. Justin Norton Memorial Fund has donated 209 scholarships to graduates of Yelm High School, Rainier High School and Tenino High School — a total of $129,550 in awards.

In 2024, a total of $15,000 was presented to three applicants.

Mendel, a realtor for RE/MAX Country in Yelm, has a plan to gather the money for the mural restoration.

“I’m going to be trying to fundraise that,” Mendel said. “I’m part of a real estate and business network that meets every other Thursday, so I’m going to bring this smaller project to them and see if we can knock that out of the park.”

Mendel is also working with the local Rotary club and is trying to contact the American Legion. He says his family tries to look out for other military families. Mendel’s father served in the Army for 23 years; his grandfather also served.

“My grandfather was an important person in my life,” Mendel said. “He was a Marine, then became a businessman, and then the last 20 years of his life, he volunteered and dedicated it to the American Legion in Miami. So, I’m trying to follow in some of those footsteps.”

Mendel said that when the Warnocks reached out to him about the mural restoration, they mentioned they were having trouble getting the consent of the owner of the railway.

After making a few calls to the City of Rainier, Mendel learned the company number for Rainier Rail.

“I was able to get in touch with their general manager, and after a phone call and a few emails, I was able to get the consent for the restoration work because some of the paint needs to be chipped off,” he said.

The mural also needs repainting. Mendel said he found a Seattle-based artist with 25 years of experience. The artist, Jeff Jacobson, known professionally as “Weirdo,” said the project would take five days.

“The other important thing is we need to find — it’s an epoxy coating that goes on the outside when he is done, so if it’s ever vandalized or tagged again, they can wash it off with a power washer because of that protective coating on the outside,” Mendel said. “It has a history of being vandalized, unfortunately. So it’s extremely important to the family that we make sure that gets done as well.”

In 2014, a vandal painted the words “war criminal” over the Norton mural. There have been other instances since the mural was first painted in 2011.

“I can’t imagine anything more heartbreaking to the Gold Star family than when they see or hear about that,” Mendel said.

The total cost of the project, according to Mendel, is upwards of $3,000.

“They do a lot for the community,” Mendel said of the Warnocks. “And I’d really like to be able to, not just help them heal, but take some of this off their plate now that I’m in a place where I can kind of give back.”

In addition to the restoration project, Mendel is hosting a fundraiser for the Sgt. Norton Foundation, Dollars for Scholars and Yelm Community Schools Special Education at the RE/MAX Country courtyard on July 11, 2025.

Mendel credits local RE/MAX Country owners Adam and Cynthia Schmier as being “some of the most patient and helpful people” as he re-enters the workforce for the first time since experiencing a “life-changing” car accident that left him with multiple disabilities, including intractable tremors and myoclonic jerks.

Mendel said the accident, which happened while he was living and working in Florida, caused him to reevaluate what was important in his life.

“And it wasn’t until I got stuck in a trauma hospital for five days, questioning if I was going to live and walk, that I kind of started to get it together after that,” Mendel said.

Mendel said he still flies to Florida once a year for pain management surgery.

It hasn’t been easy.

“But now that I’ve been back (home) for over a year, I have a solid six months of trying to be active with different charities and foundations. It’s going much smoother now.”

Mendel is grateful for the support of Gary and Chris Warnock. He’s hoping his fundraising efforts will inspire other past Norton Scholarship recipients to help with the foundation.

“Now that it’s been, you know, 10, 20 years,” Mendel said. “Some of them should be getting into their 30s and 40s like me and hopefully can help just as much.”

“This doesn’t just mean a lot to me,” Mendel said. “I can’t begin to tell you how much it means to the Warnocks.”

Wyatt Mendel can be reached at wyattfromremax@gmail.com. 

To learn more about the Sgt. Justin Norton Memorial Fund, visit http://justinnorton.net.