Lieutenant Colonel Mendizabal graduated from East Aurora High School, New York, in 2001, and then proceeded to the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport, Rhode Island. After one year, he reported to the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. In 2006, Lieutenant Colonel Mendizabal graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering.
In January 2007, after completing The Basic School, Second Lieutenant Mendizabal continued to Pensacola, Florida for initial flight training. He was then given orders to Vance Air Force base in Enid, Oklahoma for fixed-wing flight training. In March 2008, he reported for duty at Naval Air Station Whiting for rotary-wing instruction.
After finishing flight school in January 2009, First Lieutenant Mendizabal proceeded to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA)/Training-303 and he then reported to HMLA-267 in June 2009. During the five years with HMLA-267 in Camp Pendleton, he deployed on two occasions. The first deployment was during 2010 with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit out of Okinawa, Japan. In 2011, he deployed with HMLA-267 to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Upon his return, he commenced the conversion from the AH-1W to the AH-1Z helicopter and later graduated from Weapons and Tactics Instructors course in 2013.
From May 2014 to May 2017, Captain Mendizabal served as the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter Tiger exchange pilot with the Australian Army in Darwin, Australia. During his three years with the 1st Aviation Regiment, in addition to his duties as a Weapons and Tactics Instructor, Captain Mendizabal served as the 161 Squadron Operations officer and Regimental Current Operations officer. Captain Mendizabal participated in various multi-national and joint exercises to include Australia’s Joint Forward Air Controller (Airborne) successful accreditation by the U.S. Joint Fires Executive Steering Committee.
In July 2017, Major Mendizabal checked into the Marine Corps Command and Staff College in Quantico, Virginia. There he completed resident professional military education as well as a Masters of Military Science. Subsequently, Major Mendizabal checked into HMLA-267 and assumed the duties as the S-4 officer-in-charge. From November 2018 to May 2019, he deployed with HMLA-267 on the Unit Deployment Program (UDP) 19.1 to Okinawa, Japan. In June of 2019, Major Mendizabal assumed responsibilities as the Aircraft Maintenance Officer and then Executive Officer during the UDP 21.1.
From March 2021 to March 2022, Major Mendizabal served as the I Marine Expeditionary Force Staff Secretary. In March 2022, Lieutenant Colonel Mendizabal then checked into the Cunningham Group, Headquarters Marine Corps Department of Aviation, where he fulfilled duties as the Operations and Readiness officer.