Casualties of Unification?

Over the last few years the military aspect of German unification has received positive media coverage, which has prompted some to apply the term Armee der Einheit (Armed Forces of Unity) to describe the Bundeswehr of today. However, there are others who have argued that this term is inappropriate, as the process that occurred between the two militaries was a one-sided procedure that almost entirely favored the Bundeswehr (West German armed forces). After the NVA (East German armed forces) was dissolved, only a limited number of its personnel was taken over into the West German military and an even smaller amount eventually became permanent Bundeswehr soldiers. Furthermore, the process did not occur without some form of sacrifice placed upon most of the NVA personnel. As a result, there are a variety of interpretations on the dissolution of the NVA and the integration of its personnel into the Bundeswehr. Thus, one of the main challenges to understanding the event is to analyze how and why divergent interpretations have been derived, which in turn will help in the comprehension of the overall unification event as well as the open issues that continue to have a psychological impact on the former East Germans.