XML : jaxb unMarshaller failure ClassCastException because two xml elements are the same name. Why?

I am having an issue with my unmarshaller. I have a file that looks like the following:

  <Employee xmlns="namespace here">  <Employee>      <Id>2</Id>      <Name>idk</Name>  </Employee>  </Employee>    

The problem is the root element and the list of elements are the same name "Employee". When I go to unmarshal I get a classcastexception.

  @XmlRootElement(name="Employee")  public class EmployeeInformation {    List<EmployeeInformationElement> elements;  private String errorCode;  private String errorMessage;    public List<EmployeeInformationElement> getElements() {      return elements;  }  @XmlElement(name="Employee")  public void setElements(List<EmployeeInformationElement> elements) {      this.elements = elements;  }  public String getErrorCode() {      return errorCode;  }  @XmlElement(name="ErrorCode")  public void setErrorCode(String errorCode) {      this.errorCode = errorCode;  }  public String getErrorMessage() {      return errorMessage;  }  @XmlElement(name="ErrorMessage")  public void setErrorMessage(String errorMessage) {      this.errorMessage = errorMessage;  }    

I am able to use this code to marshal a file that looks exactly like the file I need to unmarshal. So I am confused. What is missing so when I unmarshal, the unmarshaller does not give me the following exception:

  java.lang.ClassCastException: XXXX.EmployeeInformationElement cannot be cast to XXXX.EmployeeInformation