Ex-comedian, newsman now serves Valley vets

YOUNGSTOWN — Sgt. Corban Baker’s diverse resume includes having served more than five years in the military, working as a news anchor and performing stand-up comedy, but for him, assisting fellow veterans is no laughing matter.

“We put our lives on the line for this country and have sacrificed so much, like missing weddings and other special occasions, so I think every veteran deserves every benefit that they’re entitled to,” said Baker, who in March was named as the Mahoning County Veterans Service Commission’s new outreach coordinator.

He replaces Delmus E. Stubbs, an Iraq war veteran who served 22 years in the Army and is working at an outpatient clinic in Warren.

Baker, 35, a 2012 Youngstown State University graduate who majored in telecommunications with a minor in theater, served in the Marine Corps from August 2003 to December 2008.

His three tours of duty included six months on the Harry Truman aircraft carrier during Operation Iraqi Freedom and seven months in Al Asad, Iraq. Baker also fulfilled a six-month deployment to Japan and South Korea.

When he wasn’t serving his country, Baker was serving audiences with routines to make them laugh. He also made forays into a variety of media outlets.

“I did stand-up comedy at YSU and had some success with it, so I wanted to go to the big time in Hollywood,” Baker recalled, adding that he performed throughout southern California, including at The Comedy Store, a well-known club on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood.

While in California, Baker focused largely on acting and performing comedy, but also “applied for 30 or 40 jobs,” he remembered. The military veteran finally landed a position at the NBC affiliate in Palm Springs, where he was a production specialist, videographer, editor and director.

“I took out the trash a few times,” he said with a chuckle. “You name it, I did it.”

Baker worked his way up to become a weekend anchor and cover sports at the TV station, he continued.

Baker’s media experience continued to blossom after he returned to the Mahoning Valley, where he and a few friends covered YSU Penguins basketball games on the Horizon League’s website, as well as some NBA Developmental League (now G-League) games, he explained.

In addition, Baker performed replay actions for various area high school football games. For several years, he also was a news anchor for WYTV Channel 33.

For now, Baker is becoming more deeply immersed in his new position and attaining a long-term goal of reaching out to veterans of all military branches to ensure they are privy to resources and services as well as financial and other assistance to match their needs. In the short run, he is “learning the ins and outs of the office” and getting acquainted with co-workers, he continued.

Baker also praised Stubbs for helping him become more adept at the job regarding making contacts and discovering the variety of resources available to veterans.

More recently, Baker received on-the-job training, though fortuitously, during a conversation with an Army veteran who suffered various medical problems. He encouraged the man to come to the VSC to see what type of help he can receive, said Baker, who also has spoken at programs and gatherings for veterans.

“I’ve been at events at which he spoke or was master of ceremonies, so I knew what type of person he was from those events,” recalled Susan Krawchyk, the Veterans Service Commission’s executive director and service officer.

Krawchyk, a 25-year Army veteran, added her office also is exploring additional ways to assist veterans who may not know where to apply for benefits for which they’re eligible. Another challenge for some is overcoming the stigma of mental illness and seeking help at Veterans Affairs clinics, she noted.

Krawchyk said she’s also grateful to have Baker as part of a team of professionals committed to serving those who have served their country.

“I’m happy to have Corban on board, and I know he’ll do great things,” she added. “Every day you can help a veteran or a widow is a win-win situation.”

For more information about the Mahoning County Veterans Service Commission, call 330-740-2450, go to www.mahoningcountyoh.gov and click on the “government” tab, or visit the VSC’s Facebook page.

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