The annual freshmen pillow fight at West Point military academy is supposed to be a fun way to blow off steam, but this year's match turned bloody when some cadets swung pillows full of heavy objects, thought to be helmets.
Thirty cadets were injured, including 24 with concussions, according to West Point.
The injured cadets suffered from split lips, dislocated shoulders and at least one broken bone. The Aug. 20 pillow fight was discussed on social media but West Point did not confirm it to the The New York Times until Thursday.
To those of you who think pillow fights are harmless...come visit West Point the night after the first Spirit Dinner... #Plebepillowfight— Ryan Tucker (@rtucker25) August 21, 2015
Just another way USMA > Your School. #PlebePillowFight#NoFucksGiven2019#SoFreedomWillReign pic.twitter.com/T6rd2WIgDv— Ethan George (Otis) (@0T15_) August 21, 2015
CASUALTY UPDATE: 12 of my fellow classmates have been sent to the hospital from our plebe pillow fight. I am not even kidding...— Brian Alegre (@El_Machismo) August 21, 2015
Col. Christopher Kasker, a spokesman for the academy in NY, said the tradition is a way to build camaraderie after a grueling summer program that prepares the plebes, as freshmen are called, for their first year.
“West Point applauds the cadets’ desire to build esprit and regrets the injuries to our cadets,” Col. Kasker said. “We are conducting appropriate investigations into the causes of the injuries.”
The tradition goes back until at least 1897, according to testimony from a 1901 hearing on hazing at the school. There haven't been many reports of injuries, but the 2013 fight was canceled because in 2012 a cadet put a lockbox in a pillowcase.
One cadet told The New York Times that the fight bonded the class and made them feel tough, but she had second thoughts when she saw a male cadet being loaded on an ambulance.
West Point couldn't be reached for comment Saturday morning.