Mission BBQ honors first responders on 9/11 with free meals, ceremony

The restaurant hosted a performance of the national anthem during the ceremony.

ROANOKE, Va. – To commemorate 9/11, Mission BBQ in Roanoke hosted a special ceremony for first responders Monday.  

The restaurant hoisted flags in front of the building around lunch time and had a special live performance of the national anthem and the presentation of the colors. Mission BBQ also gave out free sandwiches to first responders.

"We just want to say thank you. They're running in when everybody's running out, so we just take this day to say thank you to them," said David Clark, director of operations for Mission BBQ.

"We turned the TVs on, then we started feeling the horror and understanding what our nation was going through. We don't want to forget that. It's real, it's still real today. We need to remember that and be vigilant about that," said David Hoback, chief of Roanoke Fire EMS Department.

This is the third year of the event at Mission BBQ in Roanoke.