West Point superintendent takes responsibility for pillow fight turned bloody

Gregg Zoroya | USA TODAY Opinion

Show Caption Hide Caption 30 cadets injured during bloody pillow fight 30 cadets were injured during an annual pillow fight between freshman cadets at the United States Military Academy. The pillowcases were reportedly stuffed with hard objects.

The superintendent of the Army's premier West Point Military Academy took full responsibility for a bloody pillow fight among cadets last month that left 30 injured.

The rite-of-passage event on Aug. 20 that each year marks the end of summer training for freshmen cadets left two dozen of them with concussions after some participants used pillows stuffed with hard objects such as helmets. The New York Times first reported the story Friday.

Lt. Gen. Robert Caslen, academy superintendent, issued a statement Saturday saying that military police are investigating the fracas that left 30 first-year cadets — known as plebes — with such injuries as a broken nose, dislocated shoulder and a hairline fracture of a cheekbone. Photos showed cadets with blood streaming from mouths or noses.

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

The annual pillow fight by freshmen is designed to instill "esprit de corps" among classmates and has been an annual event for generations. It follows summer physical training and Caslen said this year's freshman class had a "tough first summer."

He said the academy has never condoned "any activity that results in 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."

Caslen said the dozen concussions suffered all were minor and that academy medical personnel are following up in monitoring the cadets to ensure that any brain injury doesn't impact their performance in school. All of the injured plebes have returned to duty.

This is the second time since Caslan became the 59th superintendent of the academy in July 2013, that he has dealt with scandalous behavior.

He issued a statement last year accepting responsibility for alleged recruiting violations in which high school football players were courted with alcohol at a bowling alley party followed by a bus ride home with strobe lights, loud music and cheerleaders. The NCAA issued a warning to West Point regarding the event.