On Chanukah in December 2023, two months into Israel’s Oct. 7 war against Hamas terrorists, combat engineer Mendel Vile was deep inside the Gaza Strip with his IDF unit, demolishing tunnels and detonating booby traps.
“We were out in the open in front of the tanks when they fired an anti-tank missile straight at us,” he recalled in a recent interview with JNS.
Vile’s close friend, Sgt. Uriah Yaakov, 19, was killed instantly, and four other soldiers were wounded. Vile was torn apart by shrapnel and left bleeding into the earth, wondering if this was it—if he was about to become another statistic.
In that moment, when time stood still, he made a vow: if he survived, he would truly live his life to the full.
“My life flashed before my eyes,” Vile said. “I saw a 20-year-old with no legacy. I thought—and maybe prayed—that if somehow I got out of it, I’d do whatever I could to make the most of my second chance.”
He was airlifted in critical condition to Sheba Medical Center, where he underwent several major surgeries. After four months in the hospital and another two in rehabilitation, his doctors told him his recovery had been remarkable.
“Despite the surgeon saying it was a miracle that I could walk again—and despite never having done one before—I told the physiotherapist that I would run a marathon,” he recalled.
At first, it sounded crazy. But when you’ve stared death in the face and lived to tell the tale, running 42.2 kilometers (26.2 miles) seemed doable.
Ten months later, Vile kept his promise. In October 2024, he traveled to Washington, D.C., to compete in the Marine Corps Marathon, known as “The People’s Marathon” because it’s the largest marathon in the world that doesn’t offer prize money.
Carrying the Israeli flag on his back, he crossed the finish line in 4 hours and 26 minutes.
“I ran for Uriah. I ran for the fallen. I ran because I can—and because so many can’t,” he said. “It’s a miracle I’m alive, and I thank God for it. He decided it wasn’t my time to go yet, and I’m going to make the most of every day I have.”
After his recovery, Vile became a sought-after motivational speaker, sharing his story of faith, courage and transformation. “I launched a national speaking tour, speaking straight from the heart,” he said.
From small gatherings to huge crowds, he spoke in synagogues, schools and at Jewish events across Israel, Canada and the United States. At one of his talks in Florida, a businessman from Miami approached him afterward and offered him a job on the spot.
“It seemed sudden,” Vile recalled. “It wasn’t. The world has a karmic way of rewarding sincerity when it finds it.”
“This isn’t just about me,” he added. “It’s about Israel, the IDF and Jews everywhere. We’re a people who will never be broken.”
On Oct. 26, Vile later ran his second Marine Corps Marathon, this time in 3 hours and 41 minutes, despite limited preparation. “I wasn’t physically ready, but I was mentally stronger than ever,” he said.
Some 40,000 people participated in the 50th Marine Corps Marathon, running past landmarks in Arlington and D.C. such as the Pentagon, the Lincoln Memorial and the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial, also known as the Iwo Jima Memorial.
Proudly draped in the American and Israeli flags (his family made aliyah from the United States), the Chicago-born Vile raised money for Hayeladim Shelanu (Our Children), an Israeli nonprofit that provides services to Israeli widows and orphans from Oct. 7, dedicating his race to “our brothers and sisters who need us most.”
Posting on its website, he wrote, “I was critically injured in the first days of the war and, by a miracle, survived. Through months of pain and determination, I trained myself to recover—physically and emotionally.
“During that journey, I had the privilege of joining and witnessing firsthand the incredible work of Hayeladim Shelanu, supporting the widows and orphans of Oct. 7. Meeting these families changed my life.”
He added, “Every step of this run is dedicated to them—to healing, resilience and Am Yisrael Chai.”
For Vile, honoring his fallen comrades in the IDF has meant not just remembering them in grief, but living his life with gratitude and purpose, determined to make the most of the second chance so many never got.
“We are a people of strength and resilience,” Vile said. “We will never be broken. And if I can inspire others, I have to do it. This is my calling.”
