In December 2006, she was in the final month of a year-long deployment to Iraq and was the chief public affairs officer in Al Anbar Province, where she was in charge of embedded journalists.

She was escorting Newsweek journalists into downtown Ramadi when a massive improvised explosive device (IED) destroyed her Humvee,[10][11] instantly killing McClung and the other two occupants, Army Capt.

[8] In the weeks prior to her death, McClung was helping to prepare a satellite version of the Houston Marathon at Camp Fallujah.

At that same ceremony, the school also established the Megan McClung Memorial Scholarship, which is awarded to graduate students in the Criminal Justice program based on academic standing and financial need.

Before her death, McClung had been inspired by a blogger named John Bingham who loved to run but didn't want to participate in an official marathon as he was slow and would never win.

In 2006, she had first presented the Penguin Award at the Marine Corps Forward Marathon in Iraq to credit the final runner who refused to quit and finished the race no matter their time.

[5] Retired Marine Lt Gen Carol Mutter honored Major McClung for her sacrifice during a speech at the Republican National Convention on September 4, 2008.

[19] In 2014, the Major Megan McClung Memorial Scholarship Fund was first awarded at her alma mater, Admiral Farragut Academy.

[5] In 2007, Army General Ray Odierno was responsible for building a state of the art broadcast studio at Camp Victory, Iraq, which allowed live interviews as well as numerous press events.

The facility is located at 28081 Marguerite Parkway in Mission Viejo, California and is now known as the Major Megan McClung Post Office Building.