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John Kerry Chokes Up At Secretary Of State Confirmation Hearing (VIDEO)

WATCH: John Kerry Chokes Up At Confirmation Hearing
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Senior Reporter, HuffPost

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Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) got close to tears during his confirmation hearing for secretary of state on Thursday, when he brought up his late father's service.

Richard Kerry, who died in 2000, was as a Foreign Service officer.

"If you confirm me, I would take office as secretary, proud that the Senate is in my blood, but equally proud ... that so to is the Foreign Service," Kerry said, his voice wavering.

"My father's work under presidents both Democrat and Republican took me and my siblings around the world for a personal journey that brought home the sacrifices and the commitment the men and women of the Foreign Service make every day on behalf of America," he continued.

Kerry is expected to win easy confirmation.

In another unexpected moment, a protester interrupted the hearing, yelling "I'm tired of my friends in the Middle East dying!" She was escorted out.

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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the September 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on January 23, 2013. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty )
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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Capitol Hill January 23, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the September 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on January 23, 2013. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty )
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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Capitol Hill January 23, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the September 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on January 23, 2013. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Capitol Hill January 23, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) (credit:Getty )
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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Capitol Hill January 23, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the September 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on January 23, 2013. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the September 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on January 23, 2013. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Capitol Hill January 23, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the September 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on January 23, 2013. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty )
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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the September 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on January 23, 2013. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Capitol Hill January 23, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrives to testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the September 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on January 23, 2013. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrives to testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the September 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on January 23, 2013. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the September 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya in the Hart Senate Office Building on January 23, 2013 on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the September 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on January 23, 2013. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty )
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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the September 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on January 23, 2013. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the September 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on January 23, 2013. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on the September 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya in the Rayburn House Office Building on January 23, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on the September 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya in the Rayburn House Office Building on January 23, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
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