European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 17, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                / ramp so it la to Vamp i psf of Fol p Jav a it. / continued from cover sent to the Obj Pfalz Cavern in a Frimd Home of Thepe Maii 104th Panzer in to begin three months of basic1 training. The German government Felt integration of the Fornier adversaries would be Best served by having these Young men take Basic training under West can Tuteja Crri caverns in what was formerly West Germany but military officials quickly noticed that recruits from the cast were different from the ones they were used to. _ a the first problem was that these Young men wanted nothing to do with anyone in any kind of. Uniform a they had an extreme aversion much greater than any West German a said said it. Col. Klaus Roth commander of the tank battalion. East German youth had Quot been subjected to paramilitary training throughout their schooling. That would partly account for their aversion to uniforms but Roth said it apparently did no to help prep acc them for military service. A my High expectations of their readiness were disappointed Quot he said. It. Coj Heinrich Meyer a training officer called the recruits from the former East Germany even less durable than the a Ksn Cakir general Ion from the West. ,. Quot they re Quick to go on sick Call and they re. Prone to not performing a Job unless a supervisor a is watching them. But that is probably a legacy of the entire work ethic of former East Germany a Meyer said. To. A. Y -. Stealing through the camouflage paint on their faces 10 recruits had just finished their first try at securing a Forest Hill position with lookouts in Forward placed dugouts. Quot the training is As Tough As it is in any army Quot said Jahn Trost 19, from Cottbus in the state of Brandenburg in Eastern  plus we find it strange being in the same army As our a class cite my and the thought that there a a possibility of fighting in desert trenches Side by Side with american troops is even More mind boggling. We Learned All through school in the so called a real existent socialism that the americans were our  1 , 20, from Senftenberg in bran Danburg said he also Felt strange serving in the . Quot we re still undergoing a period of adjustment. We re glad we get Home on the weekends at least. We live for the weekends and the unit provides transportation to Widen where we get the. Train Home.�?�. A a. A a a Quot a. Another Cottbus recruit Mike Eiselt a a just Call me Iron Mike you know like Mike Tyson a said he liked the training Quot but a said the 18-year-old waving his hand Quot we Only get two Rolls for breakfast. They re very strict and in a losing weight Quot he said gesturing at a his stomach. A fall tie Soldier agreed they had More Fredam. Than they had expected. The East Terman army was More repressive a they know that from their parents and older friends. They enjoy being Al heed to icave4he Cavern after duty hours to civilian clothes although their pay of 11.50 Marks a Day does no to get them much entertainment. The Young men said they arc a source of curios ii when they re Home for the weekends. Their Peers and the older Folk want to know what its like in the bund Estehr and living in the West and Are surprised that they can go Home and Wear. A draftee from 4he former German democratic Republic chops Al underbrush during a training exercise under the eyes of officers from the former Federal Republic of Germany. Civilian clothes. They agreed that the Border Between East and West still exists in everyone s head despite unification. _. Quot its the same for us Quot Meyer said. A we fee we re in a foreign country when we Cross the Border although we know it is All one Germany  but unified or not some things remain foreign. Sandro Schulz 18, from Cottbus got nods of approval from the group when he lambasted Bun Des Wehr food. A of Ycre do these bavarian get such concoct ii ohs what horrible food they Cook with Castaway seed and other spices that done to belong in food. Maybe Well get used to it but i doubt it a Schulz said. Schulz May not have to. Besides gorging the forces the defense ministry must trim them to. Meet the troop ceiling established by the political Accord in september that led to the merger of the two Germany s. Officials Are planning to meet the trims two ways. The first part requires cutting troops from both sides to meet the Active duty limit of 370,000 by 1994. Bonn intends to Cut 130,000 positions from the 450,000-Strong West German Force and All but 50,000 from an East German Force which recently numbered 176,000. The second part is a probation program for the former East German officers and non commissioned officers to test suitability for service in the bund Estehr. _ while All this is going on the War in the persian Gulf is not far from the minds of the officers and recruits. There was a consensus among the jokes and complaints that things could be worse they could be involved in the shooting. Said Roth a your problems unifying the to o German it  Benaime Small potatoes in Imit of the Challenge of Saddam  a Quot Quot Page 4 c sunday february 17, 1991 i4