West Point bans cadets' pillow fight after 30 injured

U.S. Military Academy officials said Wednesday they have banned the annual pillow fight by first-year cadets after a bloody clash between "plebes" this summer at West Point left 30 injured, including 24 diagnosed with concussions.

Officials said they are also pursuing actions against many of those involved in the Aug. 20 fracas.

First-year students, or "plebes," organize the annual fight to help the group bond after a summer of intense training.

The event, which appears to have been held almost every year since 2001, was particularly violent this time. In one case, a cadet was hit from behind and knocked unconscious, according to a West Report report of the incident. He was given first aid by a cadet who was a certified Emergency Medical Technician.

Other injuries included a broken nose and a fractured cheek. A photograph posted on Twitter showed a cadet wearing a helmet and body armor with blood pouring from his nose and mouth.

Col. Karl Meyer, who led an investigation into the incident, noted that the pillow fight has not been an officially sanctioned event nor was it based on any recorded tradition. It was held in the campus' Central Area around 8 p.m.

Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Robert Caslen said the probe showed that such "unprofessional spirit events" have "no place in the future of the academy or in the development of the Army’s next generation of leaders.” He warned that any recurrence would not be tolerated.

He said the probe showed "ineffective communication" between cadet leadership and senior military personnel before the fight.

West Point superintendent outlines pillow-fight fallout

The investigation also found that, contrary to rumor, no hard objects had been placed in the pillows before the brawl.

“Many injuries were the result of cadets having been hit by elbows or other body parts during the scuffle of the pillow fight or from simply falling or being knocked to the ground,” the report said.