MGM and UNLV to preserve years' worth of tributes left at New York-New York after 9/11 attacks

Firefighters shirts are shown during a 9/11 commemoration lawsuit astatine New York-New York, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. Since the time of the attacks 25 years agone the casino hotel's replica Statue of Liberty has been a memorial tract for galore archetypal responders who person near a postulation of memorabilia astatine its base. Photo by: Wade Vandervort / Las Vegas Sun

The shirts, inactive creased from wherever they’d been folded distant for years, were laid retired level connected a agelong array adjacent the replica Statue of Liberty astatine New York-New York connected the Strip.

They bore occurrence section patches from cities astir Las Vegas visitors would request a representation to find. They showed signs of dust. They symbolized the sacrifice of archetypal responders who mislaid their lives trying to prevention others connected Sept. 11, 2001, erstwhile attackers hijacked 4 commercialized jets and flew 2 of them into the World Trade Center successful New York, a 3rd into the Pentagon conscionable extracurricular Washington and a 4th into a tract adjacent Shanksville, Pa.

John Flynn stood implicit the array Friday and struggled, astatine moments, to support his composure. Flynn, MGM Resorts International’s elder vice president of Global Security and Aviation, said the shirts transportation a meaning that needs nary explanation.

The New York firefighters astatine the World Trade Center, Flynn said, “knew they were astir apt not coming back, and they inactive walked up those flights of stairs.”

On Friday, the 25th day of the attacks, New York-New York gave those shirts a imperishable home, donating them to UNLV Special Collections and Archives during a commemoration ceremony.

In the attacks’ contiguous aftermath, the hotel’s Statue of Liberty replica became an improvised gathering constituent successful a metropolis astir 2,200 miles from Ground Zero. Locals and tourists near letters, flags, flowers and shirts astatine the shrine. UNLV took possession of the archetypal question of tributes successful 2002, and the postulation has kept increasing — to astir 6,000 items, including much than 5,000 shirts.

Every authorities is represented. There are besides items from different countries, similar Australia and Spain.

“It is benignant of unexpected that Las Vegas would person a postulation related to 9/11. It is peculiar that we get to assistance support that representation alive,” said Kristian Taketomo, curator of gaming collections astatine UNLV’s Special Collections and Archives.

For Robert Stenger, vice president of casino operations astatine MGM Grand, the day carries a much idiosyncratic weight.

Stenger was moving arsenic a supervisor successful the blackjack pit astatine New York-New York connected the greeting of the attacks. Watching the memorial turn extracurricular the spot successful the days that followed, helium said, was a almighty reminder of the emotion the federation holds for 1 another.

“It was thing that organically grew,” Stenger recalled. “It was beautiful.”

Flynn, a colonel successful the Air Force Reserve who flew missions successful Afghanistan and Iraq and aboriginal served successful elder roles astatine the White House earlier joining MGM Resorts, echoed that sentiment.

“We were capable to supply immoderate comfort,” Flynn said. “People travel to Las Vegas for times of triumph but besides successful times of sorrow and grief.”

Friday’s ceremonial included a wreath-laying led by the company’s Veteran Employee Network Group, a infinitesimal of soundlessness and the playing of taps.

Hundreds of visitors walking the Strip, galore accepting tiny American flags handed retired by unit and waving them arsenic the ceremonial unfolded, stopped successful unplanned but acquainted displays of patriotism extracurricular a edifice that has, astir by accident, go 1 of the country’s much antithetic sites of Sept. 11 remembrance.

Thanks to the concern betwixt MGM and UNLV, the 9/11 postulation volition beryllium preserved.

“Our elder enactment felt similar this is thing that needed to beryllium preserved for history, for our aboriginal generations to ever retrieve and ne'er forget,” Stenger said.