Army Staff Sgt. Omar Aceves was an El Paso native. He served three tours of duty and in his last one, he was killed by an explosive device.

"He was a goofball. He liked to joke around. He was very playful,” said Lydia Rivera, Aceves' ex-wife.

Staff Sgt. Omar Aceves is described as someone with a warm heart, a great smile and a sense of humor. He was a leader, a friend and a father.

“He was a good dad. He had his character, but no matter what happened, he would laugh it off,” said Rivera.

Aceves leaves two daughters ages 8 and 7 with Rivera and two younger children with his current wife. She said Army officials went to her house to break the news.

“They spoke to us and the girls. They told them, ‘Your father is a hero. He died for his country,'” said Rivera.

Aceves earned six commendations including a purple heart and a bronze star. The Army lost a cherished teammate, and his family lost a devoted family man but Rivera says she still has a part of him and she sees it in his daughters, especially her oldest.

“She’s him. She laughs like him. She walks and talks like him. She even gets mad like him. She’s her dad,” said Rivera.

Aceves was stationed at Fort Hood and was laid to rest in Dallas.

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