Created by Seattle-based artist Alonzo Victor Lewis on behest of the local Centralia citizens and the American Legion, the bronze sculpture was completed and dedicated in 1924.

Though the artwork is both a sense of pride and divisiveness due to the nature of the violence and differing historical accounts of the Centralia Tragedy, the Sentinel is considered to be in good condition, requiring only one notable restoration effort in 2023.

[2][4] Due to the limited funds, the CMA reconfigured the memorial plans and in 1922 hired Alonzo Victor Lewis, a Seattle sculptor noted later for his work, American Doughboy Bringing Home Victory.

Lewis requested veterans to pose as a model for the statue, mentioning that he wanted a man "who would best typify the fighters sent to Europe from the Pacific Northwest".

[6][11] Several dignitaries spoke, including Lewis and state governor Louis F. Hart, and messages were sent from international figures, such as French Marshall Ferdinand Foch.

[13] A small American Legion ceremony, honoring all members of all branches of the United States military, was held at George Washington Park in front of the Sentinel on Veterans Day, November 11, 2019.

Led by a volunteer effort of a local bricklayers union, the project focused on preserving the statue's base, which had suffered long-term water damage, slowly cracking the granite foundation.

[15][16] The Sentinel is an 8 foot (2.4 metres)[b] tall cast bronze sculpture of a World War I doughboy atop a granite base.

On the left flank of the pedestal is a bronze bas relief with an American Legion insignia containing the portraits of Arthur McElfresh and Warren Grimm, two legionnaire members who died during the Armistice Day Riot.

- Philip James Bailey The right side of the pedestal is similar, featuring portraits of fellow legionnaires killed on the day, Earnest Dale Hubbard and Ben Casagranda.

At the rear of the statue, the base is carved with an inscription mentioning details of the tragedy and all four legionnaires who died:[2] To the memory of Ben Casagranda Warren O. Grimm Earnest Dale Hubbard Arthur McElfresh Slain on the streets of Centralia, Washington Armistice Day Nov. 11, 1919 while on peaceful parade wearing the uniform of the country they loyally and faithfully served.

[3][2] The NRHP lists the 25-square-foot (2.3 m2) site to include the statue and a small, surrounding lawn but excludes any other memorial within George Washington Park, even those pertaining to the Armistice Day Riot.

The first recognition of the IWW's version was a small plaque installed by the Wobblies west of the Sentinel not long after the doughboy sculpture was dedicated.

[21][22] Despite the desire, reactions at the unveiling in December 1997 were mixed, with sides taken, requesting removal of the mural or that the truth of the event be told, favoring one version over the other.

[19] A potential memorial in time for the 100th anniversary of the riot was presented in 2018, but the effort was postponed due to disagreements on the location, and most crucially, the proposed text to be added to the marker.

[26] A rededication was held in June 2024 after the plaque was installed on a 7,500 lb (3,400 kg) granite block base that was located to the back of the doughboy sculpture, roughly to the northwest.

[27] A monument authorized by the city in remembrance of a September 1996 campaign stop in Centralia by Bill Clinton and Al Gore was dedicated in the park in May 2008.

[28] The NRHP nomination of the statue was considered significant due to its political and historic importance, as the artwork attempts to present an official version of the November 11, 1919 Armistice Day Riot.