Annual Pillow Fight At Military Academy In West Point Turns Violent; 30 Injured

WEST POINT, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- What is usually an innocent tradition turned bloody at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point when freshmen cadets swung pillowcases packed with hard objects during an annual pillow fight.

Lt. Col. Christopher Kasker told The New York Times the pillow fight is organized by first-year students as a way to build camaraderie after a grueling summer of training to prepare them for plebe life.

According to Kasker, upperclassmen overseeing the fight required cadets to wear helmets, but video of the incident showed many did not follow that instruction.

Some cadets are even believed to have swung pillowcases packed with their helmets instead.

Video of the violent pillow fight has surfaced on YouTube, and pictures on Instagram and Twitter -- that were posted and later removed from the social media site -- showed people with battered and bloodied faces, TV-10/55's Diane Macedo reported.

Kasker said in all 30 cadets were injured in the Aug. 20 incident. Their injuries included a broken nose and a dislocated shoulder; 24 suffered concussions, Macedo reported.

Upperclassmen told CBS News off-camera they personally checked the pillow cases of the plebes they supervised and said just a few bad apples are to blame.

"If there's ever a pillow fight at that school, I'm not going to get involved," said prospective cadet Cody Persaud, who came to tour the campus with his parents.

Former Marine Damisi Bailey said that although they are young, the plebes are "about to serve our country; they're about to take orders; at some point there has to be some common sense that says, 'This is going to hurt someone.'"

The superintendent of the academy, Lt. Gen. Robert L. Caslen, Jr., released a statement on Saturday regarding the incident.

"While these spirit events do occur, we never condone any activity that
results in intentional harm to a teammate. Although the vast majority of
the class appears to have maintained the spirit of the event; it is apparent
that a few did not," the statement said in part.

Caslen said an investigation into what happened was launched on the night of the incident and is ongoing.

"I assure you that the chain of command will take appropriate action when the investigation is complete," Caslen said.

So far, no cadets have been punished.

"As Superintendent, I take full responsibility for all actions that occur here at West Point to include the event on August 20, 2015. We remain committed to the development of leaders of character. We will continue our investigation, ensure accountability, and reinforce with the Corps that we must all take care of our teammates," Caslen concluded in the statement.

Kasker said all of the cadets who were injured have since returned to duty.

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