US Army investigates violent West Point pillow fight

The pillow fight held on Aug 20 led to 24 cadets suffering from concussions and others suffering injuries including a broken nose, a dislocated shoulder and a broken cheekbone, US Army authorities said in a statement Saturday. "...[W]e never condone any activity that results in intentional harm to a teammate," said the statement. "Although the vast majority of the class appears to have maintained the spirit of the event, it is apparent that a few did not." While the statement said a military police investigation was underway, it did not explain why the academy kept secret the brawl till now. Details of the violence at the century-long West Point traditional event was first reported by the New York Times on Friday, which said a group of cadets stuff pillowcases with hard objects. Though few report of similar melee at West Point in the past could be found, the New York Times said a cadet put a lockbox in a pillowcase and injured others in 2012. Citing a male cadet who spoke on condition of anonymity, the Times reported that an upperclassman told first-year cadets that if they did not come back with a bloody nose, they did not try hard enough. The pillow fights date back to at least 1897, the Times reported, citing a 1901 congressional inquiry on hazing.

The 2013 fight was canceled after a cadet put a lockbox in a pillow case during the 2012 event and hurt other cadets, the paper reported, Kazinform refers to China Daily.