348. Aaron Mankin (Replay). Losing Your Face in Combat. Debating Sara Huckabee Sanders in High School. How to Survive 70 Surgeries. Aaron’s Playboy Mansion Story. Scars Are Not Forever. Operation Mend. No Excuse Not to Serve.

Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff

Righteous Media | Bleav

Veteran, Daily News, National Security, Politics, News Commentary, News

4.6 • 907 Ratings

🗓️ 21 August 2025

⏱️ 72 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Our August break continues and we’re throwing it way back to Episode 34 with Aaron Mankin. A true American hero, Aaron Mankin joined Paul Rieckhoff at the Classic Car Club in New York for an incredibly powerful conversation. Having survived a catastrophic IED explosion in Iraq that left him with severe burns and countless injuries shares the story of his journey to recovery with Paul in this riveting conversation. This is about more than just survival—it's about choosing hope over despair and we’re sure it will leave you feeling inspired. Aaron’s injuries have meant he’s had to endure over 70 surgeries to reconstruct his face and body, but he’s lifting up others by turning his recovery into a mission to inspire others. He talks about the extraordinary support of Operation Mend at UCLA, a program that not only rebuilt his face but also helped restore his soul. With his trademark humor, he recalls a memorable encounter at the Playboy Mansion, where he found himself in a room with more plastic surgery than any place on Earth. It’s a masterclass in turning trauma into purpose. The importance of gratitude and service, and a unique look at how you define a leader and a patriot. His powerful message is a must-listen interview with a man who has every reason to be angry but chooses to be happy and inspire others instead. And people like that are why we built this show. -WATCH video of Paul and Aaron’s conversation. -Learn more about Independent Veterans of America and all of the IVA candidates. -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power. -Check the hashtag #LookForTheHelpers. And share yours. -Find us on social media or www.IndependentAmericans.us. And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch. -Check out other Righteous podcasts like The Firefighters Podcast with Rob Serra, Uncle Montel - The OG of Weed and B Dorm. Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media. Ways to listen: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0F1lzdRbTB0XYen8kyEqXe Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/independent-americans-with-paul-rieckhoff/id1457899667 Amazon Podcasts: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/49a684c3-68e1-4a85-8d93-d95027a8ec64/independent-americans-with-paul-rieckhoff Ways to watch: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@independentamericans Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/IndependentAmericansUS/ Social channels: X/Twitter: https://x.com/indy_americans BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/indyamericans.bsky.social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IndependentAmericansUS/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Power by Righteous Media.
0:16.1	Welcome to Independent Americas. Welcome to Episode 348. It's your host, Paul Reikoff, and I am back with our special summer episodes to help you get through your August, bringing you a dose of inspiration, impact, and independence from our archives. I'm taking a break this month from new conversations, and I hope you're getting a break too. But as you do, I also want to give you a very important dose of inspiration to help you through
0:41.8	these final days of August.
0:43.8	Corporal Aaron Mankin served in the Marine Corps and is one of the single most inspiring human
0:48.9	beings I have ever met.
0:50.8	And we sat down in 2019 inside the classic car club to talk about leadership, to talk about
0:56.4	sacrifice, to talk about friendship, and to talk about hope. Aaron Makin is the kind of
1:02.0	independent Americans that inspires us all. The kind of independent American, I hope, will run
1:06.9	for office one day in his home state of Arkansas, where right now Sarah Huckabee is the
1:12.0	governor. But imagine a world where Aaron Mankin was the governor of Arkansas. It might be a part of
1:18.8	our future. So here it is, my inspiring, candid, very real conversation with one of the most
1:24.9	heroic people I have ever met, A man I am honored to call
1:28.4	my friend and a man that I was honored to have join us on this show back in 2019. If you like it,
1:33.7	please share it far and wide. Be sure to check out independentamericans.us and of course our
1:38.1	YouTube page. And enjoy these final days of summer and keep spreading the inspiration. Until next time,
1:43.7	enjoy this conversation,
1:45.0	wherever you are and stay vigilant.
1:50.9	Ladies and gentlemen, angry Americans worldwide, we have an incredible guest today. Absolutely incredible. One of the people I have been most looking forward to talking to since I created a show before I even had a show. The great and powerful Aaron Mankin is in the classic car club, New York. Welcome, my friend. Love it. Thanks for having me. Thanks for having me out here. Yeah, this is great.
2:18.5	Yeah, what do you think of this place?
2:19.8	Oh, phenomenal. Top shelf. This is beautiful. This is beautiful. Yeah. Top shelf. Yeah. Now, I said you're the great Aaron Makin. You're also the good Aaron Mankin. Really? I mean, you're a good person. And every time I'm around you, I feel happier.
2:35.0	I think anyone listening to this discussion around you, I feel happier.
2:35.0	I think anyone listening to this discussion today is going to feel happier.
	...

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