Marine headquarters dedicates room to Major Megan McClung

Shown here as a captain, Maj. Megan McClung was the first female Marine officer killed in the Iraq war.

Sometimes, the little things mean a lot.

The Marine Corps Division of Public Affairs showed that this morning, dedicating its conference room to Maj. Megan McClung, the first female Marine officer killed during the Iraq war.

McClung, 34, was killed when her up-armored Humvee hit an improvised explosive device on Dec. 6, 2006, in Ramadi, the site of some of the most violent fighting in the war. She had been serving as a public affairs officer for Multi-National Force West, which was led at the time by Maj. Gen. Richard Zilmer.

About 20 Marines and a small handful of media gathered at DIVPA for the event with Mike McClung, Megan’s father. They remembered her as an energetic, no-nonsense Marine who also loved running and went out of her way to make sure people felt included.

Maj. Charlie Baisley, a reservist, recalled that she also had a quiet confidence about her, and would correct senior officers when necessary. In one case, she pointed out to a colonel in Iraq that his boots weren’t tied correctly, he said with a laugh.

“She had a quiet confidence about her dealing with senior officers that a lot of us didn’t have,” Baisley said.

Mike McClung said his daughter would have been embarassed by the attention, but thanked the Marines for remembering her.

“One of the reasons you have so few photographs of Megan is because she preferred to take the pictures,” he said. “We appreciate greatly that the Marine Corps is a family, and that we are part of that family.”