Person in uniform knelt at grave of Beau Biden as his father was inaugurated

Viral image ‘brought tears’ to reporter’s eyes as she observed the person from afar, choosing not to approach out of respect

An unknown person in uniform was seen kneeling at the grave of Beau Biden as his father was giving his inauguration speech. The person was photographed by Delaware News Journal writer Patricia Talorico who tweeted out the image, which was shared widely online.

Beau Biden served as the Attorney General of Delaware from 2007 to 2015, ending his tenure just months before he passed away while suffering from Glioblastoma, the most common form of brain cancer, PBS wrote in 2018.

He was 46 years old at the time of his death. Before Joe Biden travelled to DC from Delaware for his inauguration, he gave a tear-filled speech in which he said: “I only have one regret: that he's not here, because we should be introducing him as president.”

Writing for the Delaware News Journal, Ms Talorico said she saw "a lone person in a blue uniform kneeling at Beau's grave".

Out of respect, she didn't approach them. As the person knelt beside the grave, Joe Biden was being sworn in as the 46th President and was about to begin his inaugural address. The uniformed person "bowed their head and clasped their hands".

"The image brought tears to my eyes," Ms Talorico wrote, adding "I couldn't bring myself to interrupt this poignant, solemn moment."

After President Biden's speech had come it its end, the uniformed individual was still there, kneeling with their head bowed.

Read more: Follow live updates on the start of the Biden presidency

Ms Talorico wrote that Delaware is a “tiny state” where you are bound to cross paths with everyone at some point in their lives. 

“The joke is there are no degrees of separation,” she wrote. 

Before he was the state's Attorney General, Beau Biden had once stretched out a comforting hand to the Delaware News Journal writer when she was stressed about an assignment. 

"I'm sure the despair showed in my face," she wrote.  

"Then I heard a friendly voice say, 'Hey, how are you? Are you OK?' I looked up and it was Beau standing over me, holding out his hand ... we shook hands and made small talk ... It wasn't a grand gesture, just a small one, but somehow, it made a difference that day. I never forgot that act of kindness."

Joe Biden was sworn in on the 127-year-old Biden family bible once used by Beau Biden when he was being sworn in as Delaware's Attorney General, according to The Hill.

MSNBC reported that the bible, which has been in the Biden family since 1893, was also used twice when Joe Biden was sworn in as President Obama's vice president and every time he was sworn in as a US Senator, a role he held for 36 years.