A 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment soldier died Wednesday at a German hospital following a lengthy illness, according to an Army news release.

The soldier was identified as Spc. William Sullivan II, 23, from Oceanside, Calif. He was assigned to Company H, 3rd Squadron, stationed in Vilseck.

Sullivan died from complications due to acute respiratory syndrome at a hospital in Hannover, according to the release. He had been battling his illness for several months.

He is survived by his mother and father.

The release did not mention any plans for a memorial service.

Command changes for two NATO unitsTwo NATO units based in Europe are in the hands of new leadership.

U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Stephen D. Schmidt took command Wednesday of the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force, according to a NATO news release. He replaced German air force Maj. Gen. Axel R. Tüttelmann during a change-of-command ceremony at the NATO air base in Geilenkirchen, Germany.

Schmidt, who previously commanded the NATO E-3A Component, will move to the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force Command headquarters post, located with Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe at Mons, Belgium.

German air force Brig. Gen. Burkhard Potozky now commands the E-3A Component, NATO’s only multinational flying unit, which is composed of aircrews from 14 nations. Potozky’s change-of-command ceremony was combined with Schmidt’s, according to NATO officials.

Activist jailed for failure to pay fineA British activist who regularly leads protests outside U.S. bases in England was jailed this week.

Lindis Percy, co-coordinator of the group Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases, or CAAB, received a 45-day sentence for not paying a 1,000-pound fine, about $1,450, for aggravated trespass and obstructing a highway, officials at Harrogate Magistrates Court said.

Percy, 66, has become infamous among military circles in England for her protests at the bases, including an incident in 2006 when she sneaked onto RAF Croughton. Percy claimed an American airman used excessive force when taking her into custody.

British prosecutors decided not to press charges against the airman. Still, in February Percy filed a civil claim against Staff Sgt. Frank McDonald, a security forces airman with the 422nd Air Base Squadron at Croughton. She alleged that he caused cuts, swelling and pain to her wrists from too-tight handcuffs, among other injuries, when he detained her in the 2006.

It was unclear Thursday where that case stands. Calls to the CAAB, which advocates removing U.S. forces from the United Kingdom, were not returned by deadline. Air Force officials said earlier this month that they will not comment on pending litigation.

In March, Percy led a demonstration of about 30 protesters from CAAB and other groups at RAF Lakenheath. It was peaceful and did not result in any arrests or incidents, Suffolk Constabulary officials said.

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