Kneupper retires after 33 years of service Published April 9, 2018 By Tech Sgt. Carlos J. Treviño 433rd Airlift Wing JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas -- Chief Master Sgt. Edgar M. Kneupper, 74th Aerial Port Squadron operations superintendent, retired April, 7 2018 here after 33 years of service ending a military career that originally began in the Navy in 1985. Kneupper, who was born in nearby New Braunfels, entered the Air Force Reserve in 1995 and completed a deployment to Oman in 2011. In his civilian life, he is a firefighter for the City of Austin where he lives with his wife Michelle and their four children. Travel and family are things that he said he will focus on and enjoyed in his career. “The free vacations and my second family are among the things that I will miss,” he said. “Chief Kneupper is a quiet professional who is always prepared to work as long as it takes to get the mission accomplished,” Lt. Col. Travis Hartley, 74th APS commander said. “He never let the mission fail, while taking care of his Airmen at the same time. He is an outstanding chief who puts others before himself ensuring they had what they needed to achieve mission success.” “Chief Kneupper is a problem solver and an outstanding mechanic,” Hartley said. “He has assisted numerous Airmen in need who had a mechanical problem with their vehicle when getting ready to depart Lackland for home and required a repair.” “Stay ready to go,” said the new retiree as he emphasized readiness. Kneupper exemplified that with his excellent fitness scores on his last eight tests according to Hartley. “It isn’t that hard, and be ready for that next stripe,”Kneupper said. “I will miss being around the unit, and I will miss being around the Air Force.”