00:00Hello. Just to be clear for everyone seeing this, I am a version of Chris Pelkey recreated
00:06through AI that uses my picture and my voice profile. I was able to be digitally regenerated
00:13to share with you today. But here is insight into who I actually was in real life. Take a look.
00:19All right. I'm Chris Pelkey. I served with the United States Army in the infantry. I'm from
00:29where did I deploy? I went to Baghdad in 2006-2008 and then I went to Afghanistan in 2009-10.
00:40I think the number one thing is God. Is having a relationship with the Lord and being close
00:48with Him and that He really is the only answer. Every problem we have, everything we go through,
00:53we got to do it with Jesus at our side. Everything else I've tried has failed.
00:59Aside from that, just like Jesus says, love God and love people. Being in that community with people
01:06where we can lift each other up and support each other and have that community of like-minded
01:12brethren, combat veterans, people that believe in the Lord and people that are sober and trying
01:18to live that good life. It's just all about God and all about people.
01:22So, as you can see from my video, I recorded in 2021. This here is a true representation of
01:30who I was, you know, not how the courtroom portrayed me.
01:35So, I would like to make my own impact statement.
01:40So, hello everybody. Thank you so much for being here today. It means a lot.
01:46I can't tell you how humbled I am for those that spoke up for me, everyone who flew in,
01:51took off work, those who are watching this remotely, and for everyone who has supported
01:57my family and loved ones through three and a half years and two trials. I wish I could be
02:02with you all today. To your honor, Judge Lang, thank you for making yourself available to see
02:08this case to the end, especially when the rescheduled trial conflicted with your daughter's
02:13spring break. Thank you for listening to everyone today. Thank you for reading the
02:19flood of impact statements that came in before today that so many people wrote on my behalf.
02:26Every single one of them is meaningful and gives a glimpse into my life with each of them.
02:32To Gabriel Horkasidas, the man who shot me, it is a shame we encountered each other that day
02:38in those circumstances. In another life, we probably could have been friends.
02:44I believe in forgiveness and in God who forgives. I always have, and I still do.
02:51To my family and everyone that I've met along the way, it was a lot of fun. You know, I
02:55always
02:55had a lot of fun. Love each other because you never know how long you have, but make the most
03:00of each day and live your life. It is okay to stumble. God has you. Remember, getting old is a
03:09gift that
03:09not everybody has. So embrace it and stop worrying about those wrinkles. I once played with one of
03:16those filters on your phone where you can make yourself look old. I shared it with a cousin of
03:21ours years ago. This is the best I can ever give you to what I would have looked like if
03:25I got the
03:25chance to grow old. Scary, huh? No, really. Thank you to everyone for being here. It means more than you
03:33know. Well, I'm gonna go fishing now. Love you all. See you on the other side.
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