Joe Biden got choked up during a sendoff from his home state of Delaware, and the reason for his emotions -- his late son, Beau, was at the center of his thoughts.
The President-elect got a farewell ceremony Tuesday at the Delaware National Guard Joint Force HQ ... it's named after Beau Biden -- who was a Major with the Delaware National Guard.
During his remarks, Joe teared up thanking the state officials who intro'd him ... plus, his fellow Delawareans whom he's come to know so well over the years as a U.S. Senator. He told anecdotes about the Amtrak train he used to ride from DE to D.C. ... and how he'd wait on a Black conductor to take him to his job each day.
Joe says things have come full circle now that he's got Kamala Harris at his side.
He also quoted Irish novelist James Joyce, who once told a friend that when his time came to pass ... Dublin would be inscribed on his heart. Joe said the same applied to him, except it would be Delaware written on his.
One last thing that was pretty touching ... Joe said he regrets the fact Beau wasn't around, because he felt he could've been President himself.
Speaking of Beau, they played his favorite Coldplay song during the ceremony ... "Sky Full of Stars," which also featured at Biden's victory party in November.