Seattle graffiti artist Jeff Jacobson, known professionally as “Weirdo,” posed for a photo in front of the newly restored mural of Sgt. Justin Norton alongside state Route 507 in Rainier on Tuesday, May 27.
The mural, which is now completed, is on a lower segment of the train trestle bridge in Rainier.
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.
The mural restoration project was spearheaded by Wyatt Mendel, who received a Sgt. Justin Norton Memorial Scholarship in 2011 as a Yelm High School graduate. He led a fundraising effort to pay for the restoration.
Look for more on this project in an upcoming edition of The Chronicle.
