Story highlights 30 first-year students were injured in mass pillow fight held August 20 at West Point

The pillow fight is designed to allow students to blow off steam, West Point superintendent says

(CNN) West Point thrives on tradition, including a mass pillow fight held on campus to give first-year students a chance to blow off steam after a "tough first summer" of basic training, academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Robert L. Caslen Jr. said in a statement.

But the pillow fight held August 20 got rough, with 30 members of the class of 2019 requiring medical attention and 24 suffering concussions, Caslen said in a statement.

Other injuries included a broken nose, a dislocated shoulder, and a hairline fracture of a cheekbone, he said. All the students have returned to duty.

Caslen didn't say how the injuries occurred but that an investigation has been started.

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