Memorial Day May26,2025
Of all the questions I have gotten from people who visit our New England Accordion Connection & Museum co., the question of why I started such an enterprise, has been the most frequently asked. For quite some time after we opened our doors to the public, I had no answer for this question. I did not even know why I suddenly wanted to get back to playing the accordion after a 42-year period of not playing!
Despite these questions, I decided to start playing again and collecting just a “few” interesting units. But then in the process, something important occurred. I thought I was collecting accordions, but the companion backstories were quietly piling up every time I found an accordion. In many cases the stories are very compelling and important. At that point I self-published a book showcasing the accordions and their stories (see Accordion Stories from the Heart – Amazon Books).
Many of the stories revolve around wartime settings. Every Memorial Day I am reminded of the extraordinary sacrifice so many people made for us by giving their lives for our freedom.
Specifically, I am thinking of a soldier named Stanley whose job was driving a landing craft loaded with soldiers to Omaha beach in WWII. The incoming fire from enemy placements on the shore was ferocious. As the landing gate was lowered for the troops to depart, many were caught and killed by the bullets and bombs. He would then return to the mother ship to unload the bodies and take on new troops. Stanley had his accordion with him on that craft as he was planning to join his fellow soldiers on the beach at a future run. He wanted to do whatever he could to bring some peace and good musical memories of home for the troops. His son told me he took his dad to see the movie “Saving Private Ryan” when it came out. Stanley wept when the brutal opening scene came on and showed the soldiers in the landing craft being killed. Through his tears he said, “That’s really the way it was…”
Then there was Tom, another accordion player who was the chief mechanic on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific during WWII. He was responsible for repairing all the damaged planes that managed to make if back to the carrier after a bombing run. He would play his accordion at night in the cavernous lower level of the ship where all the planes were stored that needed repair. The acoustics were phenomenal. Men throughout the ship could hear his music and songs that reminded them of home, family, and country. It helped them understand why they had to finish the job they were called to complete. For many of them, it would be the last music they ever would hear and they were inspired by it.
One of the best stories we have is of a girl named Barbara who was a prodigy accordion player back in the 1930’s. When she was 19 years old in 1942, she decided to go to Europe to play for the troops with the USO. She was a phenomenal player and entertained well over 200,000 troops while there. She moved through the war zones along with the troops to make sure she brought some musical comfort from home for the men that needed the support and encouragement the most. She always ended her playing with the song “God Bless America.”
Every day, I am surrounded by these stories, and many more like them. I now know why I started an accordion museum. Every time we get to Memorial Day or whenever people bring me their precious stories of what a close relative did with their accordion, I promise them I will do all I can to keep those memories alive. That job has fallen to me to do. These stories are our history of accomplishments and sacrifices that many people in the past made for our benefit. We have a living museum here because the music they played can still be played by us, which in turn, keeps their stories alive. We must never forget what they did for us.
Now that I know why I had to start an accordion museum, my greatest challenge is to find the people and financial support we need to keep this going. If any of you would like to help in any way, please contact me.
Paul Ramunni …….860-833-1374..…..ramunni@comcast.net