Blake Hall
When you read the words ‘pillow fight,’ images of excitable children wacking each other with down pillows, emitting clouds of white feathers and jumping on the bed with reckless abandon come to mind. At the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, however, the innocent childhood pillow fight can become a bloodbath.
Every year, West Point cadets don helmets and participate in what is probably the D-Day of pillow fights. This rite of passage is a chance for cadets to let loose after completing their beginning training and show the upperclassmen that they deserve to be there.
This year’s annual fight, which took place on Aug. 20, was particularly intense. Thanks to pillowcases full of hard and sharp objects, 30 total cadets were injured. The New York Times reported that 24 were concussed, at least one bone broken, several shoulders dislocated and a few students knocked completely unconscious. Videos of the pillow fight show that many students wore no head gear, leaving them vulnerable to weaponized pillows.
“West Point applauds the cadets’ desire to build esprit and regrets the injuries to our cadets,” academy spokesman Colonel Christopher Kasker told the Times. “We are conducting appropriate investigations into the causes of the injuries.”