New Year’s Day 2024: We have many accordions in our collection here in Connecticut at the New England Accordion Connection & Museum Co. (NEACMC.com). Along with the accordions that have come to us, are the backstories. Each unit has a history and story and it’s usually quite personal. Some stories, like the one that follows here, can have a profound meaning for the original owner and the people who heard that accordion’s music. My hope, in this new year, is that we too can benefit from the original experience of the story of Rob’s accordion.

About 15 years ago I received a call from a Navy veteran, Rob, who still had his small Hohner button box accordion that he kept with him during WW II. He was a mechanic on one of the aircraft carriers that operated in the Pacific during the war. His ship was attacked on many occasions, but he always managed to escape getting severely injured. He spent most of the war on that ship. He was eventually promoted to chief mechanic near the end of his tour.

Beneath the flight deck, was a cavernous area where the damaged planes would be lowered by elevator to be repaired. Rob’s quarters were in that lower deck area. He got into the habit of playing his accordion late in the day usually after mealtime when he had some downtime. Since the whole ship was made of steel, the acoustics in that repair area were unbelievable. Consequently, the sound would carry and his accordion could be heard in many parts of the ship. At first, Rob did not realize that so many people could hear him play. He would play songs that were memorable to him as a child growing up. It turns out that those songs were very special to many others on that ship as well.

Before long, men who were scheduled to fly bombing missions, would come down to Rob’s area early in the mornings, just before their mission, to thank him. The music affected them deeply as they knew their missions were very dangerous, and many would not be returning. But the songs and sound of the accordion would encourage them and remind them of why they were there. They were fighting to save their families and America itself.

Eventually, the ship’s captain came to Rob and told him that he would approve “piping” his music throughout the ship, via intercom, each evening at a specific hour. He heard about the positive impact the songs were having on the fliers and crew, including all of the support personnel. Rob teared up as he told me this story. He said that the experience was beyond his ability to understand it, and at times, even to bear it. He knew that he was playing for soon to be dead soldiers. He played a song or two for me that he still remembered and yes, we both teared up a little.

We are now moving into 2024 and it promises to be a tumultuous year for many of us. I am finding that with all of the folks who visit our museum, music is one of the last things that we can still all agree on and enjoy together. The accordion is a fabulous tool for delivering those songs and music. Coincidentally, the root word for accordion comes from the German word “akkord.” It means to come together in harmony and agreement, something we are in desperate need of these days.

Rob was by no means a virtuoso player. He was self-taught and very modest about his playing ability. But it was his dedication and desire to help his fellow soldiers get through their tasks and survive. He wanted to give them a little bit of happiness at such a dark time. He succeeded, as did our veterans.

Your accordion can have an important impact as well. If you can play, then by all means, take it out and play it, especially for others. If you don’t play, then this would be a good time to learn and begin.…………Happy New Year everyone!!

Paul Ramunni
Curator and owner of The New England Accordion Connection & Museum Co.
NEACMC.com………860-833-1374