Now the memory of the McGovern brothers and their sacrifice has been rekindled on a former battleground in another part of the world -- Bosnia.

More than a year ago, Charlie McGovern, 66, a retired Montgomery County Parks Department employee living in Columbia, and his brother, John McGovern, 74, a retired engineer living in Wheaton, read a news story about U.S. troops in Bosnia who were based at a place called Camp McGovern. The two wondered if there could be any connection with their two long-dead brothers, Bob and Jerry.

John McGovern wrote to the Department of the Army in February, and Charlie McGovern followed with several e-mail inquiries, but they received no response. Finally, in May, they contacted the office of Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.), who wrote the Army on their behalf.

The Army soon sent Cardin's office a letter confirming that Camp McGovern is named for the "Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, Robert M. McGovern."

"It was kind of ironic that they never said anything to us," Charlie McGovern said.

It was a nice surprise, he and his brother are quick to add. "So much of history is soon forgotten," said John McGovern, a World War II veteran who served on a B-24 bomber with the Army Air Forces in the Pacific.

The McGovern brothers have never been forgotten at St. John's. "You can stop any student in the hallway and ask them about the McGovern brothers, and they'll tell you," said Brother Edward Adams, head of the alumni office for the school in Northwest Washington. "We're very proud of those young men. They are very much a part of the history of the school."

The school's rifle team still bears the name McGovern Rifles Drill Team. The brothers' citations and medals were on display in a hallway for years, and they will be put in a school museum now being planned, Adams said.

But learning that the McGovern name also is remembered by U.S. soldiers an ocean away has been a source of pride for the family.

"I am sure I speak for the family when I say that we are pleased that Bob and Jerome are still remembered, almost 50 years later, for their bravery and heroic actions in Korea," Charlie McGovern said.

The camp was established by one of the units that led the U.S. force into Bosnia in late 1995 -- the 5th Cavalry Regiment.

In coming up with a name for the camp, the 5th Cavalry decided to honor one of their own: Bob McGovern. Located south of the city of Brcko along the narrowest portion of the Posavina Corridor, the camp is critical for keeping Bosnian Serbs and Muslims at peace.

Charlie McGovern began an e-mail correspondence with Capt. Elizabeth Hibner, the public affairs officer for the U.S. task force now at Camp McGovern.

He sent a package of material about Bob and Jerome, which was distributed to commanders at the base.

"Our base camp proudly displays a new sign at its entrance explaining the history and heroism of Lt. McGovern," Hibner said. "We're keeping the history alive."

Charlie McGovern learned that soldiers at the camp had donated much-needed school supplies to children living nearby.

Before going to Korea, Bob McGovern had been stationed in 1949 at Camp Crawford on Hakkaido Island in Japan, where he learned of the difficulties faced by a local group of Franciscan missionary nuns trying to care for an army of young children orphaned by World War II.

Bob McGovern wrote to friends back in Washington, describing the plight of the children and asking them to help out. In subsequent years, there was a steady stream of clothing, medicine and food sent to the orphanage.

In that spirit, Charlie McGovern has organized a campaign to have friends and family members send material for the soldiers at Camp McGovern to distribute.

"We have received numerous boxes of school supplies as a result of Mr. McGovern's efforts," Hibner said. "We have received everything from backpacks to pens and pencils and small articles of clothing. I have been personally overwhelmed by people's generosity."

More donations would be welcome, Hibner said. "The children here would love anything anyone would like to contribute," she said. "There is nothing they don't need here." Donated items can be sent to:

Public Affairs Officer (PAO)
Camp McGovern
Operation Joint Forge
APO AE 09789

Helping children is a fitting way to remember his brothers, Charlie McGovern said. "You keep thinking, 'How many children would they have now?' " he said.