“Be Bold. Be Brief. Be Gone.”
These were the words etched on Major Megan McClung’s headstone—and the way she lived her life.
On December 6, 2006, in the war-torn city of Ramadi, Iraq, Major McClung became the first female Marine officer killed in combat during the Iraq War. She was just 34. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and a decorated public affairs officer with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, McClung believed deeply in transparency, accountability, and the power of truth. She gave reporters battlefield access not for glory, but so the American people could understand the cost of war and the courage of those who fought it.
That morning, she had escorted Fox News and Oliver North through the perilous streets of Ramadi. Later, while guiding journalists from Newsweek, the Humvee she was riding in struck an IED. The explosion killed everyone inside. The journalists, in a separate vehicle, survived. Major McClung was just weeks away from completing her year-long deployment.
She was not only the first female Marine officer killed in Iraq—but also the first female graduate of the Naval Academy to be killed in action in its 172-year history.
Those who knew her say Megan ran toward the sound of the guns—not away. She faced danger with determination and led with compassion, grit, and unwavering professionalism. As Col. Riccoh Player remembered:
“She accepted every mission, every billet, every challenge with vigor, creative abandon, and a find-a-way-to-make-a-way ethos.”
Today, we remember Major McClung not just for how she died, but for how she lived—with purpose, courage, and the unshakable belief that every story mattered.

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