Columbus Dispatch -- A stunned Columbus neighborhood flew American flags from homes yesterday in honor of one of its own who was killed in Afghanistan this week.

Army Sgt. Titus R. Reynolds, 23, of the Far East Side, was killed in action not long after arriving in Afghanistan, family and friends said.

Details of his death were not immediately announced by the Department of Defense.

Rod Reynolds, Titus' father, said his son died while riding in a Stryker vehicle that triggered a roadside bomb.

Three soldiers died in Afghanistan on Thursday when their Stryker vehicle hit a bomb in its path, the Pentagon announced earlier. Mr. Reynolds did not know whether it was the same incident that involved his son.

Titus Reynolds was nearing the end of his four-year Army stint and had been promoted to sergeant in June, Mr. Reynolds said.

He and his wife, Nikki, would have celebrated their first wedding anniversary in about a month. 
 Titus' father described his son as a talented musician who played electric guitar and bass at their church. He said Titus was a good-looking young man, so much so that waitresses would give him their phone numbers on outings to restaurants.

"It happened many times," Mr. Reynolds said.

He said his son tried to reassure him about going to Afghanistan, saying that as a sergeant he would be able to assess dangerous situations.

"I don't know how you can watch for roadside bombs" and improvised explosive devices, the father said.

The Reynoldses' neighbors along Manor Drive, a neighborhood near Reynoldsburg, were quick to honor Titus' service and sacrifice as word of his death spread. 
 "We have flags from one end to the other," said Sheryl Sycks, who lives on Manor Drive.

"Titus would do anything for you. He was nice and mannerly, such a sweet kid," she said, recalling Titus going out of his way to help neighbors lug groceries from their cars into their homes.

Emil Davitian, 25, a neighbor and childhood friend, said Titus' home was a natural gathering place for neighborhood kids. He said it often fell to Titus and him to organize the games that their younger siblings and friends would play.

"We would get together and have video-game tournaments," Davitian said. "The Sony PlayStation was at my house, and the Nintendo 64 was at his."

Davitian said the news of Titus' death was devastating to him. "It's very hard to grasp. It feels like it's unreal," he said. "You hear a lot about lives being lost on TV and the news, but you really don't understand until it hits home to someone really close to you, to a good person like him."

Titus Reynolds attended Reynoldsburg High School, and Sycks said he also attended a vocational school.

Records show that Reynolds was based at Fort Lewis near Tacoma, Wash. A base spokeswoman said the Army cannot release details until the Department of Defense officially releases news of Reynolds' death.

Besides his father, Titus Reynolds is survived by his mother, Elizabeth, as well as two brothers and a sister.

He was the third central Ohio soldier to die in the past three weeks. Army Staff Sgt. Shannon M. Smith, 31, of Marion, and Pfc. Zachary T. Myers, 21, of Delaware, were killed with another soldier on Sept. 8 when their armored vehicle was hit by an explosive in Baji, Iraq.