West Point Bans Pillow Fight After Brawl

The U.S. Military Academy officials announced on Wednesday they would ban the first-year students' annual pillow fight after a violent brawl left 30 cadets injured at West Point. First-year cadets, known as "plebes," organize the annual event as a bonding experience at the end of summer training. Officials said 24 of those injured were diagnosed with concussions while one cadet was knocked unconscious. The academy said it would also pursue actions against some of those involved in the bloody brawl. Col. Karl Meyer, who led an investigation into the incident, said the event has never been officially sanctioned and was not based on any recorded tradition. The pillow fight appears to have taken place every year since 2001.