West Point Now Slightly Less Tough After Pillow Fights Officially Banned

West Point cadets are no longer allowed to organize and participate in annual pillow fights.

According to NBC News, U.S. Military Academy officials announced the ban following the most recent event, the bloody results of which left 30 cadets injured over the summer.

West Point Superintendent Lt. Gen. Robert Caslen said in a statement, “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 knows that it will not be tolerated.”

First-year students called “plebes” organized the annual tradition as a means of building rapport among cadets.

During the Aug. 20 pillow fight that seriously injured 30 plebes, upper-class students reportedly did not take proper control of the situation to ensure the safety of all participants. According to one report, the older cadets instead did everything “from throwing items such as small milk cartons, water balloons, fruit and glow sticks from barracks windows to yelling at plebes and encouraging them ‘get back into the fight.'”

Check out video of the 2014 pillow fight on YouTube.

[h/t NBC News]
[Image via screengrab]

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