E172 - #134 Vince "Snapper" Sherer | A-10 Fighter Pilot - Inside Close Air Support and Combat Operations

In this episode of the Afterburn Podcast, John “Rain” Waters is joined by Vince “Snapper” Sherer, a veteran A-10 pilot with 4,500 flight hours and 299 combat missions. Snapper breaks down his path from the Air Force Academy to deployments across Afghanistan flying the A-10A and A-10C, including time in the MC-12. He details the evolution of close air support, the integration of targeting pods, and the challenges of executing time-sensitive strikes in complex environments. Snapper also shares how personal events—including his brother’s career-ending accident and a high-casualty strike on a high-value target—shaped his approach to combat and lea...