An upcoming commemorative ceremony will recognize the efforts of a hometown hero who played an extensive role in the development of Aquashicola's Volunteer Fire Company.

On Thanksgiving Day in 1949, the home of Charles and Alice Arner caught fire. Neighbor John "Buddy" Miller, a World War II veteran, in a valiant effort, handed his 4-week-old son, Barry, off to his wife, Faye, and charged into the house to find Alfred and Shirley Arner, ages 4 and 2. After wrapping himself in carpeting, Miller ran up to the second floor to find the children. He found the two children upstairs and had each child in his arms. He attempted to kick the window out and was seen attempting to get out of the house.Unfortunately, the rear bedroom floor collapsed, and Miller and the children died in the fire."Through the efforts of Rory Koons and (life member) Mike Snyder from the fire company, they did some research and found out that he was deserving of a marker on his gravestone from the Carnegie Foundation. We'd like people to be aware of what he did for us. Back on Thanksgiving Day in 1949, he gave his life for our family," said Larry Arner, a member of the Aquashicola Fire Company, and a brother to the two children who died."Several years ago we started an intense search to try and find the siblings. After many failed attempts we began to lose hope that we would find any of the family members," fire company president Koons said.Snyder, who lives in Michigan now, discovered Miller's widow, Faye Blose Butler, passed away and found her death certificate through Ancestry.com.This led him to find the son, Barry John Butler. Previously, they had looking for Barry J. Miller, but his mother had remarried and adopted Miller.A bronze medallion will be placed on the tombstone, along with a veteran's salute for his heroic efforts. The Miller and Arner families will be present to be recognized along with many local dignitaries.The ceremony, hosted by the Aquashicola Volunteer Fire Company, along with the Palmerton Heritage Society, will begin at 1 p.m. July 22, with the introduction of the Arners, Millers, and Butlers (Faye Miller's surname after remarrying), followed by the presentation of a short video provided by the Carnegie Foundation."From there, we're going to put the families on the fire truck, we're going to go past the site on Forest Inn Road where this occurred. We're going to the cemetery, where we're going to have the Veterans Honor Guard present colors, have an invocation, and then have a keynote speaker, Mike Snyder. He will then ask the Butler/Miller family to unveil the tombstone to reveal the medal we're going to affix to it," Koons said.Koons has said that the fire was a catalyst for the establishment of the Aquashicola Volunteer Fire Company's upgrades, and an important element of the town's history. Up until the incident, the town was limited to a hand-drawn hose cart for firefighting efforts. Many emergencies were primarily handled by Palmerton's fire company, but the Arner fire invigorated the area to build up their own forces."They figured, it's 1949, 1950, it's time to modernize. And from that incident, so many people came forward and built this building, and from there, built this organization. Had this tragedy not occurred, who knows what would have stimulated their interest? It's the foundation of this organization that is a direct derivative of that fire," Koons said.Uncovering the whole story, however, involved a hefty amount of research from Koons, Snyder, and Commissioner Bill O'Gurek. Delving into old newspaper clippings and tracking family histories through ancestry websites provided a more complete picture of the fire, along with everything that came after it."Back in 1949, after things happened, enthusiasm had a tendency to die quickly," Koons said. "You didn't have social media that you have today. Things occurred, and were easily forgotten, and that's exactly what happened."And thanks to the efforts of those researchers, the efforts of a brave and selfless man will not go unnoticed any longer.Brother Charles Arner was merely a few weeks old at the time of the fire, but he is still ever grateful for Miller's heroic action."I'm glad they're honoring Buddy," he said. "This all happened a long time ago, and I'm glad he's getting his due.""It's an honor well-overdue for the gentleman," Larry Arner said. "His family, nor our family, knew much about it. But, I wouldn't be here if he didn't do what he tried to do."