Ed and Dana Abrahamson

Founders

I was a fighter then, and I’m still a fighter now, or that’s what I have to keep telling myself. When I was an FTO I use to tell the new police officers to keep moving, no matter what you do just keep moving. If you freeze up bad things can happen. It’s a saying that can be applied to pretty much anything in life, and I said it all the time, but I don’t always follow my own advice. I am a dad, a husband and a friend. I have people who depend on me, just as much as I depend on them. My career of service started as a soldier in the U.S. Army. I had the distinction of being a U.S. Paratrooper and had the honor of serving with both the 101st Airborne Division, and the 82nd Airborne Division. I had an 8.5 year career in the military and I’m a veteran of the Gulf War. When I got out of the service I still had the desire to serve my community, and country.

Upon my departure from the military, I went back to school and earned my degree in law enforcement. I had a pretty awesome police career. 18 years to be exact. I retired from the South St Paul Police Dept in May of 2015.I While serving the community I had the opportunity to do some great things, and I had the honor to work with some truly great people. I enjoyed my time on the Dakota Co. SWAT team where I started out as negotiator for several years, and eventually made my way over to the operator side of the team.

Along the way, and in the progression of my career, things began to change in me. My love for the job, my health, my sleep, my mood, my drinking, my home life, and most importantly, my will to live.

On a fall night, in October of 2012, my wife walked in on me with a gun to my head. She made a few phone calls, and a few of my partners showed up to my house. My guns were taken and I was off to the VA Hospital. After a few hours, I was home again, and as I have become to know, the VA provides little to no help. I was off work for several weeks but when my benefit time ran out I needed to provide for my family so I was left with no option but to go back to work.

I made it 3 more years. 3 awful, grueling years. The sight of my uniform made me physically ill, and I lost all ambition to want to work. The people that once were my friends seemed so distant and not as willing to get together. It was like I had the plague. I felt as though no one wanted to be around me. It seemed as though I was alone. A functional alcoholic with a past suicide attempt. I knew this wasn’t my place anymore in life and felt like such a better man when I was home with my family and away from the uniform.

January of 2015, I was off work again for an extended period of time. I didn’t feel right, I was constantly fatigued. I would fall asleep in my squad car on day shift, my body hurt and I felt like I had been hit by a truck, that’s how I felt all the time . I made numerous trips to the Mayo Clinic and was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, a presumptive illness from the Gulf War, as I had confirmed exposure to several nerve agents , and PTSD.

We took a family vacation to Florida. I wanted to take my wife and kids to Disney. I thought maybe the most magical place on Earth would make me happy. One of the days there, my wife took the kids alone to one of the parks. I hurt so bad. It felt as if someone had continuously whipped my body until I bruised and then torched the bottoms of my feet. I spent the day in the hotel room as I lost all will to live. Had I had a gun with me, I now I would not be here today to share my story.

My wife had asked me many times if I would like a service dog. Every time I declined. But that time in Florida was different. I felt ready to make a change. Dana, my wife, contacted many organizations. All were willing to help, but the price was very steep. She reached out to Rebuilding Warriors. At the time they were based in Norco, California. The CEO, Jeff Anderson many similarities to me and life. He was a diabetic, he was a veteran and police officer, and he too suffered.

I received my 1st service dog, Rex, a Belgian Malinois, through Rebuilding Warriors, in May, 2015. It couldn’t have come at a better time as less than a week before I medically retired from the South St Paul Police dept.

Rex was amazing and brought out parts of me that had been hidden for so long. He was such a blessing to our family, that we decided to pay it forward. In December of 2015, we had a fundraiser outside of our home. We decorated the yard, and Dana’s dad played Santa. We raised $6,500. We contacted Jeff Anderson, and told him we wanted to fund a service dog. He told us to find a recipient in Minnesota and he would come present the dog. We did, and in that time, we also decided to start own own non profit, for those right here in Minnesota. That is how Soldiers 6 came to be.

We are in our 7th year of operation and going strong. We have had so many things to be thankful for, and we want to keep those blessings going. To date, we have given nearly 85 service dogs to qualified recipients.

I feel fortunate once again, as a few years ago, , I received a new service dog, K9 Dez. Rex decided about a year and a half ago, that he didn’t like going out much. Taking him in public also became harder. Rex was a rescue, and as the years have ticked away, Rex seems to become protective of any of us when out in public, and shows some dog aggression. He is a fantastic dog, and we love him dearly. He still comes to some events, if he chooses to, but we do tend to keep him home. Dez has stepped in and taken over where Rex left off. Dez is a 2 year old German Shepherd from the Czech Republic. Dez was selected to be a police K9. Dana’s brother, my brother in law, is a K9 officer in Washington state. He started training with Dez in the fall of 2018. This was his 2nd dog in his career and he’s a seasoned K9 handler. By the Spring of 2019, the tough call was made to wash Dez from the K9 program. Dez would not bite. He showed no aggression and didn’t want to get in the squad anymore. He wanted to stay home and play.
After talking to her brother, they decided Dez would be a great service dog. Dana flew to Washington to spend some time with her brothers, both whom are in law enforcement, and get acquainted with Dez. She flew home with him and after a few days of him getting acclimated to our home, and not being a police dog, he slipped right into his role. He is a phenomenal partner that has a goofy personality with the most intense ball drive I have ever seen. He will steal your heart. He makes me laugh and keeps me busy. Lots of fetch. He and Rex get along great and it is awesome to have a buddy not only for me, but for Rex also.

We are excited for what this year has in store for us. Our biggest event of the year is rapidly approaching. July 30, , at the Cottage Grove VFW. There will be tons of prizes for our dollar raffle box, a silent auction, the biggest meat raffle in the state, and a fantastic taco bar.

We are beyond blessed and grateful. We have the greatest trainers, the head trainer being Mike Boehmer, Danas brother. He is employed full time with KLN Family brands based in Perham Mn. Mike hung up his police badge after nearly 18 years, and stepped in as our trainer. We are solid and backed with the greatest of knowledge.

The Minnesota Wild have been fostering a pup for us, Brooksy. He will be ready to be paired with his recipient in June or July of 2023 and continue training with Mike.

There are so many cool ways to support us, and we really appreciate it. Follow us on facebook, instagram and twitter to stay up to date on events we are hosting or will be at. Your generosity and support will help us on our mission. We are here for our Minnesota heroes: police officers, current or retired, honorably discharged veterans, firefighters, paramedics, 911 dispatchers, and corrections officers.

Some days are still dark. I know that not everyday will be perfect and a dog isn’t the magic cure. But it certainly is a help.I am in a better place now than I was years ago. With the help of my family and friends, ( who I am trying to get better at asking for help from) I know I can make it through.