Fallen Marine Officer, a MET Alum, Honored by US Navy as Ships Named After Her

Megan McClung (MET’06) was a US Marine who died as a casualty of the Iraq War during a combat mission which saw her escort journalists visiting the country’s Al Anbar Governorate province. A major, she was also an alum of BU MET’s online master’s degree in criminal justice.

The first female Marine officer to be killed in action as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, she was additionally the first female graduate of the US Naval Academy to be killed in action since the college was founded in 1845.

In 2007, after her passing, Megan’s parents committed to keeping their daughter’s name alive by establishing Metropolitan College’s Megan McClung Memorial Scholarship. The award is dedicated to online Master of Science in Criminal Justice degree students who exemplify Megan’s own strong citizenship and character, desire to make a meaningful contribution to society, and commitment to academic excellence.

Now, the US Navy is following suit in honoring Major McClung by naming a future class of medium landing ships for her. The first of the 18–35 amphibious ships—which will deliver equipment and troops to, along, and back from shore—will, fittingly, be dubbed the USS McClung.

The Navy expects the ships to be completed and delivered in 2029.