SAN ANTONIO -- Sgt. Cesar Ruiz was remembered Wednesday as a selfless person who loved being a Marine.

Ruiz, 26, of San Antonio, was killed in the Hellmand Province in Afghanistan on Oct. 31 after he stepped on a landmine.

"He was the most selfless person I have ever met," said Kimberly Ruiz, the Marine's wife.

Kimberly Ruiz received the news of her husband's death about 11/2 months after she last saw him.

Ruiz said that while her husband was in town, they were able to celebrate their son's first birthday and took family photos she now cherishes.

"He said, 'I need to do this. I'm a Marine and I'd rather die for a reason, for a cause, and for my country and for my family than to die for no reason," she said.

Ruiz's widow said that her husband was always full of life and was always thinking of others.

"He loved the Marine Corps, so he died doing what he loved. So that at least brings me some peace knowing he was happy," she said. "He's my hero."