Arts & Healing - Suicide Advocacy and Theatre

Arts & Healing

Arts for Military Veterans

By Amber Robinson

Marine Vet Finds Healing Through Suicide Advocacy and Theatre

When Marine Veteran, actor, director and now film producer, Floyd Strayer entered the service in 1975, he only planned to stay four years. He came from a military background, his father and uncles serving. His namesake and uncle, Floyd Strayer I, even served in India Burma during World War II. Like many recruits before him, Strayer’s original plan was to serve just long enough to get the military education benefits.

“My family didn’t have what it took to put me through college,” said Strayer. “So I joined the Marines.”

A year into his service he was sent to Okinawa, Japan.

“I fell in love with Japan,” said Strayer. “I loved my job there, the Japanese people, their culture and then I met my wife.” Strayer went back to San Diego to re-enlist for more time in the Marines, so he could extend his time in Okinawa to five years. He was married in 1979 and then did a full 21 years in the engineering tech field before retiring in 1996. In those two decades Strayer finished his Bachelor’s degree as planned.

He was able to finish his Master’s degree with the GI Bill and went back to working in engineering tech services at Miramar three years after retirement. Strayer’s first trips to foreign places like Iraq, Afghanistan and Djibouti came as a civilian. The main component of his work was now training and overseeing service members doing what he used to do. Life was great for Strayer. He was even able to visit his son multiple times in Kuwait during his where he was flying C23s for the Army on deployment.

“They would take him off the flight schedule every time I came in,” said Strayer.

For Strayer, family was his grounding force and stood for everything he held dear. But in 1999 Strayer and his family were shaken when his brother took his own life. Several years later in 2006 his niece also took her life. Shortly after, his wife earned a stay at the Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital for Counseling and Mental Health when she tried to drink herself to death.

It was then that Strayer decided to get help.

Getting help was one of the best things Strayer could do for himself, he says. He was able to get into counseling and on to a stabilizing medication for his depression. With a new lease on life, Strayer began to go up for promotions at work. He completed the training and testing for and received two promotions. But, when he went up for his third promotion, things were different.

“I blew it,” said Strayer. “So I began to go to Toastmasters meetings.”

Toastmasters is an organization that helps its members build confidence through public speaking. A topic that Strayer frequented was the death of his brother. With his particular education and work credentials he soon began to speak to survivors of suicide loss.

“I realized I could make it my message,” said Strayer.

From public speaking Strayer soon moved to taking improv classes as a way to bring humor and warmth into his speaking. From there it seemed natural he should end up on a theatrical stage.

“The Veterans Museum [at Balboa Park] was looking for someone to play a Spanish gypsy for a play put on by the North County Players,” said Strayer.

From there Strayer was given the chance to play Mark Twain in an original play called “Mark Twain: A Christmas Carol”. Strayer began to take acting classes then landed a role in The American History Theater’s show, “The Diary of Anne Frank”, as Anne’s father.

“I love being on stage,” said Strayer. “I love the live response and the challenge.”

But, Strayer did not stop with live acting. His next challenge was to learn to edit video, then to direct and produce film projects. He put all his skills together recently to put a film into the San Diego GI Film Festival, called “Life After Oblivion”. The film follows the life of a military sniper who witnesses the death of a young Afghan boy at war.

“It’s a movie about those ghosts we can bring home from combat ,” said Strayer.

As for Strayer’s advocacy, that has morphed as well. For the last six years he has taken suicide awareness on the road annually with Motorcycle Ride for Life. San Diego Harley Davidson and El Cajon Harley Davidson have both hosted the event which honors those lost to suicide and raises awareness about suicide prevention and loss. The ride brings out a lot of veterans like Strayer who enjoy the space that Strayer creates for them.

“We are giving people a safe space to come and talk,” he said.

According to Strayer it is important for those who have suffered suicide loss to come together.

“It’s comforting to be with others who have gone through the same thing, had the same feelings as you,” said Strayer. “They need to hear, ‘no you’re not crazy, the feelings you are having are very real.” Strayer continues to speak to different groups about suicide awareness. Now, he is well-versed in the language of healing and spreads it as often as he can. He speaks with any veteran or military group that asks and plans to continue to spread awareness when and where he can. Although the death of his brother still gives him pain he seeks to use what he’s learned since and through the experience to help others.

“Theatre has given me the platform to do this,” said Strayer. “Acting has given me the confidence to get up and speak out when needed, about the things that matter.”