Honor this Homeless Veteran, give him the burial he earned!

My name is Stephanie, and I am the younger sister to Derrick Emmanuel DeRocha Hathaway. Derrick was not only a loving brother, but also an uncle, a son, a friend, and a U.S. Veteran. Derick devoted 9 years to protecting our country as a dedicated Marine. He served multiple tours in Kosovo where he would assist to a NATO Peacekeeping mission. He was recognized for many great achievements as well as being awarded the Good Conduct Medal. Unfortunately, Derricks time serving brought him great sorrow and trauma. Derrick survived abuse, abandonment, and shameful acts that he was ordered to fulfil. Orders that were not only inhumane but full of horror. After witnessing and participating in some of the worst things imaginable, Derrick was offered and agreed to participate in substance use to cope with the reality of sadness. The Department of Defense administered a drug test after his regretful night of cocaine use. At this time, he was discharged for bad conduct after failing the drug screening. Derrick suffered from PTSD and was denied healthcare. He was denied housing or any assistance that he badly needed. Despite his near decade of dedication and honorable work, he was failed by the country he risked his life to protect. On September 9th, 2015, he was tackled and beaten by 3 Veterans Affairs police officers upon entering the Pheonix VA hospital, where he went to plead for help. After the abuse took place, Derrick was arrested and would then spend the next 16 months behind bars. This incident would later result in a settlement that would find the VA guilty of using excessive force in 2018. Unfortunately, the VA continued to fail and neglect his needs, again denying him of housing or healthcare. From a young age Derrick had been set up to fail. He was abandoned as a child, sexually abused, and survived terrible occurrences that no child should ever have to live through. The abuse and abandonment continued throughout his life, yet he overcame and tried to do well for himself. The PTSD, lack of support, and demons of his past caught up with him. He spent years as a homeless veteran where he would hide his reality of life from his family and friends out of embarrassment and shame. Sadly, he was never given the chance to experience the joys in life that he should have had. On November 11th, 2024, Derrick was found deceased on the side of the road. The cause of death was a drug overdose. Currently, I mourn the loss of my brother. One who I have wonderful memories with. I mourn a heroic marine who was treated less than deserved. The VA is refusing to see Derrick as a veteran due to his bad conduct discharge from nearly 20 years ago. While the Veterans Affairs Department does not see my brother as a vet, I do. I saw his great achievements and the toll his time in the service took on his life. Derrick deserves to be buried respectfully. With the funeral and burial expenses being hefty, and receiving no post death support from the VA, I am seeking help. If you have the means to donate, please do. Anything helps. If you cannot donate, I hope that you at least gained knowledge on this topic. I hope you have been convinced to spread and show support to all veterans in any way that you are able to. If you cannot donate, then please share this link. I aspire to spread the awareness of PTSD in hopes that future soldiers can receive the help they may need too.