A blanket party (also known as "locksocking") is a form of corporal punishment, hazing or retaliation conducted within a peer group, most frequently within the military or military academies. The victim (usually asleep in bed) is restrained by having a blanket flung over them and held down. Other members of the group strike the victim repeatedly with improvised flails, most often a sock or bath towel containing something solid, such as a bar of soap or a padlock.[1]
In 2015, a United States Army veteran was diagnosed with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) after being the victim of a blanket party during basic training in the late 1970s.[2]
Full Metal Jacket
The term "blanket party" was popularized by the Stanley Kubrick film Full Metal Jacket. In the film, members of a basic training platoon give a blanket party to Private Pyle, an inept member of their platoon, whose mistakes had led to group punishment given repeatedly to the entire platoon.[3]