Megan McClung
Encyclopedia
Megan Malia Leilani McClung (April 14, 1972–December 6, 2006) was the first female United States Marine Corps
officer killed in combat during the Iraq War. Major
McClung was serving as a public affairs
officer in Al Anbar Province, Iraq
when she was killed.
to Mike and Re McClung. She was raised in Orange County, California
and graduated from Mission Viejo High School
, Mission Viejo, CA in 1990. Megan became the first woman to attend Admiral Farragut Academy
in New Jersey
.
Her family had a history of military service. Her paternal grandfather served in the United States Army
during World War II
, and her father was a U.S. Marine Corps infantry officer who served in Vietnam
, seeing combat in the Tet Offensive. Her maternal grandfather was a U.S. Navy officer and pilot. She attended the United States Naval Academy
, graduating and receiving her officer's commission in 1995.
McClung graduated with her master's degree
in Criminology
from Boston University
in 2006, several months prior to her death.
In 2006, she returned to active duty with the Marines and in January 2006, she was deployed to Iraq as a public affairs officer with the I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF). She was promoted to the rank of Major in June. In December 2006, she was in the final month of a year long deployment to Iraq.
On December 6, 2006, McClung was serving with the I Marine Expeditionary Force as the Marine Corps head of public affairs for Al Anbar Province, in charge of embedded journalists. Earlier in the day, she had been accompanying Oliver North
with his Fox News camera crew in Ramadi
. She subsequently was escorting Newsweek
journalists into downtown Ramadi. A massive improvised explosive device
(IED) destroyed McClung's Humvee, instantly killing McClung and the other two occupants. The Newsweek journalists were not injured.
McClung was the first female Marine officer to be killed in the Iraq war, as well as the first female graduate of the United States Naval Academy to be killed in action since the school was founded in 1845.
Major Megan McClung was buried with full military honors
in Arlington National Cemetery
on December 19, 2006.
.
McClung was a triathlete
(having competed in six Ironman competitions
) and a marathon
er. In October 2006, she organized and ran in the Marine Corps Marathon
's satellite competition, Marine Corps Marathon Forward in Iraq.
The second annual Major McClung Memorial Run was held August 23, 2008 at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island
to raise money for wounded Marines and their families.
Marine LtGen Carol Mutter
, honored Major McClung for her sacrifice during a speech at the Republican National Convention
on September 4, 2008.
In 2008, the first Major Megan M. McClung Memorial Scholarship will be awarded to a college student by her parents, Drs. Re and Michael and the Women Marines Association.
In Iraq, Army General Ray Odierno was responsible for building a state of the art broadcast studio, which allowed live interviews as well as numerous press events, and he dedicated the studio to Major McClung.
A half-marathon was run at Al Asad Air Base in Iraq on 15 August 2009. The race was named the Major McClung Memorial Half Marathon and had 400 runners and over 100 volunteers.
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
officer killed in combat during the Iraq War. Major
Major (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
McClung was serving as a public affairs
Public affairs (military)
Public Affairs is a term for the formal offices of the branches of the United States Department of Defense whose purpose is to deal with the media and community issues. The term is also used for numerous media relations offices that are created by the U.S. military for more specific limited purposes...
officer in Al Anbar Province, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
when she was killed.
Early life; education; family
Megan Malia Leilani McClung was born on April 14, 1972 in Honolulu, HawaiiHonolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
to Mike and Re McClung. She was raised in Orange County, California
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
and graduated from Mission Viejo High School
Mission Viejo High School
Mission Viejo High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Mission Viejo, California, United States, as part of the Saddleback Valley Unified School District. The school has served the area since 1966. Students within its attendance boundaries live in western Mission...
, Mission Viejo, CA in 1990. Megan became the first woman to attend Admiral Farragut Academy
Admiral Farragut Academy
Admiral Farragut Academy is a college preparatory school with Naval training founded in 1933 in Pine Beach, New Jersey by, among others, Admiral Samuel Robison, one-time President of RCA, and former Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It is named after Admiral...
in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.
Her family had a history of military service. Her paternal grandfather served in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and her father was a U.S. Marine Corps infantry officer who served in Vietnam
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, seeing combat in the Tet Offensive. Her maternal grandfather was a U.S. Navy officer and pilot. She attended the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
, graduating and receiving her officer's commission in 1995.
McClung graduated with her master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Criminology
Criminology
Criminology is the scientific study of the nature, extent, causes, and control of criminal behavior in both the individual and in society...
from Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
in 2006, several months prior to her death.
Marine Corps career; Death in Iraq
McClung was commissioned an officer in the Marine Corps in 1995 and served on active duty until 2004, when she entered the Reserves. In 2004, she joined Kellogg, Brown, and Root, an American engineering and construction company and went to Iraq as a private contractor.In 2006, she returned to active duty with the Marines and in January 2006, she was deployed to Iraq as a public affairs officer with the I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF). She was promoted to the rank of Major in June. In December 2006, she was in the final month of a year long deployment to Iraq.
On December 6, 2006, McClung was serving with the I Marine Expeditionary Force as the Marine Corps head of public affairs for Al Anbar Province, in charge of embedded journalists. Earlier in the day, she had been accompanying Oliver North
Oliver North
Oliver Laurence North is a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer, political commentator, host of War Stories with Oliver North on Fox News Channel, a military historian, and a New York Times best-selling author....
with his Fox News camera crew in Ramadi
Ramadi
Ramadi is a city in central Iraq, about west of Baghdad. It is the capital of Al Anbar Governorate.-History:Ramadi is located in a fertile, irrigated, alluvial plain.The Ottoman Empire founded Ramadi in 1869...
. She subsequently was escorting Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
journalists into downtown Ramadi. A massive improvised explosive device
Improvised explosive device
An improvised explosive device , also known as a roadside bomb, is a homemade bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action...
(IED) destroyed McClung's Humvee, instantly killing McClung and the other two occupants. The Newsweek journalists were not injured.
McClung was the first female Marine officer to be killed in the Iraq war, as well as the first female graduate of the United States Naval Academy to be killed in action since the school was founded in 1845.
Major Megan McClung was buried with full military honors
Military funeral
A military funeral is a specially orchestrated funeral given by a country's military for a soldier, sailor, marine or airman who died in battle, a veteran, or other prominent military figures or heads of state. A military funeral may feature guards of honor, the firing of volley shots as a salute,...
in Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
on December 19, 2006.
Athletic endeavors
While in high school and college, McClung competed as a gymnastArtistic gymnastics
Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics where gymnasts perform short routines on different apparatus, with less time for vaulting . The sport is governed by the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique , which designs the Code of Points and regulates all aspects of international elite...
.
McClung was a triathlete
Triathlon
A triathlon is a multi-sport event involving the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance events. While many variations of the sport exist, triathlon, in its most popular form, involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances...
(having competed in six Ironman competitions
Ironman Triathlon
An Ironman Triathlon is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation consisting of a swim, a bike and a marathon run, raced in that order and without a break...
) and a marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
er. In October 2006, she organized and ran in the Marine Corps Marathon
Marine Corps Marathon
The Marine Corps Marathon is an annual marathon held in Arlington, Virginia and Washington, DC. The mission of the MCM is to promote physical fitness, generate community goodwill and showcase the organizational skills of the United States Marine Corps....
's satellite competition, Marine Corps Marathon Forward in Iraq.
Posthumous honors
McClung was posthumously honored at Boston University's Metropolitan College 2007 commencement ceremonies with the 2006 “Excellence in Graduate Study in Criminal Justice”, which was presented by Dr. Daniel LeClair.The second annual Major McClung Memorial Run was held August 23, 2008 at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island
Naval Air Station Whidbey Island
Naval Air Station Whidbey Island is a naval air station located in two sections around Oak Harbor, Washington, USA. It was commissioned as an active U.S. Navy installation on 21 September 1942....
to raise money for wounded Marines and their families.
Marine LtGen Carol Mutter
Carol Mutter
Carol A. Mutter is a retired United States Marine Corps lieutenant general. She is the first woman in the history of the United States Armed Forces to be appointed to a three-star grade. She retired from the Marine Corps on January 1, 1999...
, honored Major McClung for her sacrifice during a speech at the Republican National Convention
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S...
on September 4, 2008.
In 2008, the first Major Megan M. McClung Memorial Scholarship will be awarded to a college student by her parents, Drs. Re and Michael and the Women Marines Association.
In Iraq, Army General Ray Odierno was responsible for building a state of the art broadcast studio, which allowed live interviews as well as numerous press events, and he dedicated the studio to Major McClung.
See also
- Barbara DulinskyBarbara DulinskyMaster Sergeant Barbara Jean Dulinsky was a member of the United States Marine Corps who, in 1967, became the first woman United States Marine to serve in a combat zone, when her request to be sent to Vietnam was granted. She served at Military Assistance Command, Vietnam Headquarters in...
, first female Marine to serve in a combat zone
A half-marathon was run at Al Asad Air Base in Iraq on 15 August 2009. The race was named the Major McClung Memorial Half Marathon and had 400 runners and over 100 volunteers.
- Elizabeth A. Okoreeh-BaahElizabeth A. Okoreeh-BaahCaptain Elizabeth A. Okoreeh-Baah is an officer in the United States Marine Corps and on March 13, 2006, she became the first female to pilot the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft.-Biography:...
, Marine Captain, first female to pilot the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft.