West Point Pillow Fight Ends In a Bloody Mess? 24 Cadets Sustain Concussions
A fun-filled day turned tragic for United States Military Academy students attending the annual pillow fight at West Point, leaving 30 cadets injured on Wednesday. The tradition, which started in 1897, got out of hand and resulted in the banning of the yearly event.
According to ABC News, the first-year trainees, called, "plebes," were the one who organized the "presumed bonding." The once-a-year-affair was held in an effort to build camaraderie after long, intense training.
However, it turned into a nightmare after freshmen suffered broken noses, fractured cheeks, and 24 concussions. In fact, one cadet was found unconscious and was quickly sent to a certified medical specialist before the chaos even ended.
As stated in the investigators report, the man might have been a victim of what is called the "blue falcon" move. It's a cadet movement, which involves hitting someone on the back of the neck and then knocking them down to the ground.
"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. However, it was also stated that some of the participants were actually wearing body armors and helmets.
But, ABC News added that one cadet will undergo disciplinary actions after he was caught taking another strike while hiding a hard object inside the pillowcase. Unfortunately, his victim hadn't received any medical attention that time.
Additionally, administrators wrote on the police report that the annual pillow fight has to stop due to a lack of sufficient planning, insufficient guidance, and communication from the upper-class men and academy leaders.
Both of the senior cadets and military members will face the proper action for failing to live by army's values. Meanwhile, Telegraph noted that Lt. Col Christopher Kasker, the spokesman for the academy, first said that there were no concrete plans to stop the annual event.
"West Point applauds the cadets' desire to build spirit and regrets the injuries to our cadets," he said in September. "We are conducting appropriate investigations into the causes of the injuries."
However, that was promptly changed after the Wednesday mishap happened. "While never officially sanctioned, it is now officially banned, and we will take appropriate action to ensure that all faculty, staff, leaders, the Corps of Cadets, and everyone at West Point know that it will not be tolerated," said Lt Gen Robert Caslen.
Watch the actual video of the pillow fight from CNN: