Hometown: Mission Viejo, CA
Branch: U.S. Marine Corps
Unit: 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters, Camp Pendleton, CA
Military Honors: Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals
Date of Sacrifice: December 6, 2006 - KIA in Ramadi, Anbar Province, Iraq
Age: 34
Conflict: Iraq War, 2003-2011

Megan McClung was born into a legacy of military service. Her mother, Re McClung, was the daughter of a U.S. Navy pilot who flew seaplanes out of Whidbey Island during World War II (1939-1945). Her father, Mike, was a Marine captain during the Vietnam War (1959-1975). Megan’s grandfather, Boyd McClung, served in the U.S. Army during WWII, and his assignments included running the stockade at Fort Lewis, Washington.

As her middle name, “Malia Leilani,” suggests, Megan was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on April 14, 1972. Her parents chose the name based on the “pua melia” flower, often used to create leis in Hawaii. At the time, Megan’s father was stationed at Camp Smith, serving in the Communications Center.

A Marine assignment brought the family to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton (Oceanside, California). After Mike’s military service, the family bought a home in Mission Viejo, south of Los Angeles. Mike took a civilian position with the aerospace company Boeing, while Re worked as an education administrator with the Centralia School District.

Megan attended De Portola Elementary and La Paz Intermediate schools. She was an accomplished student-athlete at Mission Viejo High School, where her dedication and boldness became clear. A top gymnast, she was determined to improve her strength. Rejected from the boys’ weightlifting program, Megan took her case to the school board and won.

Choosing service

McClung received an appointment to the United States Naval Academy and was commissioned as a second lieutenant with the U.S. Marine Corps after graduating in May 1995 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in General Science. She’d later add a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Boston University, which she earned while deployed.

According to Re McClung:

Megan wanted to fly in the Navy but learned in her plebe [first] year—after an experience in a fighter jet—that she got airsick. She wanted to serve in the infantry, but frontline jobs weren’t open to women at that time.

Her father suggested she become a public affairs officer and combat correspondent because as a public affairs officer, she would get to do everything the infantry guys did and wouldn’t have to do the paperwork.

Megan received basic officer training at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia and completed the Public Affairs Officer Qualification Course at Fort Meade—located halfway between Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.

In 1996, 2ndLt McClung moved to Camp Pendleton in California, where she served as the public affairs and media officer. Three years later, she transferred to the Marine Corps Recruiting Depot Parris Island (South Carolina) where she served as the academics and scheduling officer.

After her time at Parris Island, McClung transferred to Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina, where she served as the public affairs officer.

With 8 years of service in the U.S. Marine Corps, in 2003 McClung transferred to the Marine Reserves, working as the East Coast regional representative for the “Marine for Life” program at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The USMC says Marine for Life “connects transitioning Marines and their family members to education resources, employment opportunities, and other Veterans services that aid in their career and life goals outside of military service.”

A year later, she leveraged her experience in Iraq to land a one-year civilian contract as a public relations expert with Kellogg, Brown & Root, an American engineering and construction firm operating in Baghdad.

At the end of her civilian contract, McClung returned to active duty with the Marines in 2005, serving with the U.S. Fleet Marine Corps Force, Atlantic—based in Norfolk, Virginia—as deputy public affairs officer.

“Outside the Wire”

A return to Iraq came in February 2006, when McClung began a one-year tour at Camp Fallujah with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. McClung rose to the rank of major in June of that year.

In the fall of 2006, McClung took a position connected to the Army’s 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division—the “Ready First” brigade. Her duties as Media Relations Officer in the Iraqi city of Ramadi included escorting embedded media “outside the wire”—beyond the relative safety of the camp, into an active war zone.

Knowing the inherent dangers of operating in the Sunni Triangle, Maj. McClung adopted a mantra she would often repeat while training troops and senior officials on how to conduct media interviews: “Be Bold. Be Brief. Be Gone.”

During the Iraq War (2003-2011), the U.S. Department of Defense embedded journalists within military units—to help Americans back home understand the real-life experiences soldiers faced during operations in a war zone.

Women in combat

Official U.S. policies regarding women serving in combat zones were changing. In 1988, the Department of Defense adopted a “Risk Rule”—a formal ban on women serving in military roles where it was thought they were more likely to be killed. That policy was rescinded in 1994. While women were still barred from serving in ground combat units, the new policy allowed women to serve in all positions except those engaged in direct ground combat roles.

Beginning with the Persian Gulf War (1990-1991), distinctions between “combat” and “non-combat” roles were increasingly blurred, as non-combat units were often as exposed to enemy attacks as were units on the front lines.

“The Penguin Award”

An avid runner, Maj. McClung organized the very first Marine Corps Marathon (Forward) while deployed in Iraq in October 2006—to coincide with the Marine Corps Marathon held annually in Arlington, Virginia. She trained for the event by running along Iraq’s Tigris River.

Inspired by fellow marathon enthusiast John “The Penguin” Bingham—a blogger who gave himself the nickname because of his slow pace—McClung established The Penguin Award, given to the last-place finisher. She wanted to emphasize the importance of reaching one’s goal, regardless of how long it takes.

Amy Forsythe, who served in the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Public Affairs Office with Maj. McClung, recalls, “She was well-known throughout the Marines’ triathlon community. As a triathlete, she competed in seven Ironman distance triathlons. Her accomplishments include winning the First Military Female award in Kona, Hawaii, in 2000 and placing second the next year.”

Final mission

As December 2006 approached, McClung was nearing the end of her year-long deployment in Iraq. On December 6, she volunteered for a team escorting embedded Newsweek journalists to Ramadi. Earlier in the day, she’d done the same for retired Marine Lt. Col. Oliver North and a Fox News camera crew.

On this second trip, McClung’s armored Humvee was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED)—a roadside bomb. Major Megan M. McClung, age 34, was lost in the attack. Also killed were Capt. Travis Patriquin of St. Louis, Missouri, and Spec. Vincent Pomante III from Westerville, Ohio. The Newsweek journalists were in another vehicle and were not injured.

Maj. McClung was the first female graduate of the United States Naval Academy—since its founding in 1845—to make the ultimate sacrifice. She was laid to rest with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. (Section 60, Site 8514). She was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal.

Engraved on her headstone are the words of her motto: “Be Bold. Be Brief. Be Gone.”

Tributes

Numerous honors, scholarships, and awards call attention to Maj. McClung‘s service and sacrifice for her country.

In November 2024, a bill was passed by Congress and signed by the president, renaming the post office in Mission Viejo, CA, the “Major Megan McClung Post Office Building.”

In January 2025, the U.S. Navy announced USS McClung (LSM 1) as the name for the first ship in the new McClung class of medium landing ships.

Author Tom Sileo tells Maj. McClung’s story in his book, Be Bold: How a Marine Corps Hero Broke Barriers for Women at War.

The annual Marine Corps Marathon in Arlington, Virginia, carries on the tradition of McClung’s Penguin Award. Her family has made it a point every year to present the award to the final finisher—at the foot of the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial.

Sources
Details provided by Amy Forsythe, Dr. Re McClung (Maj. McClung’s Gold Star Mother), and Michael McClung Jr. (Gold Star Brother).
U.S. Marine Corps., Amy Forsythe: ‘Be Brief. Be Bold. Be gone.’: A Decade Later, Maj. Megan M. McClung’s Legacy Lives On
Seattle Post-Intelligencer, May 25, 2008: After Megan died, parents learned about the Marine their little girl became
U.S. House Rep. Young Kim: House Passes Bill to Honor Mission Viejo Fallen Hero
The Fresno Bee, Dec. 12, 2006: Female Marine officer dies in Iraq
The Orange County Register, Dec. 12, 2006: O.C. native dies in Iraq
VA News: Veteran of the Day, Marine Corps Veteran Megan McClung
Boston University, Bostonia, Feb. 24, 2025: US Navy to Name Ships for BU Alumna Who Died in Combat in Iraq
Burial Site: Find a Grave

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