The monument was erected in late 2006 by Jeffrey Heaton, a long-time anti-war protester, and Louise Clark.
[5] By February 26, 2007, the number of crosses, mixed with Stars of David, Islamic crescents, and other religious symbols, had passed 2,500.
[11] The organizers initially had an approximately 64-square-foot (5.9 m2) sign, but reduced it to 32 square feet (3.0 m2) to comply with the city ordinance.
The sign is updated every week to show the new official death toll for soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
[12] As of 2014[update], a permanent memorial has been proposed on the site although the original intent was for the display to come down when U.S. troops came home from Iraq and Afghanistan.