2700 pairs of boots representing the lives lost in the war in Iraq line the campus of Colorado College. Each set of boots represents a soldier who died in Iraq. They each have a name of a fallen hero. They're part of a traveling exhibit called "Eyes Wide Open" organized by anti-war groups who claim this exhibit shows the human cost of war. Alex Clemons, who stopped by the display, said, “I am seeing men and women die for a cause and don't know what the war is for."

Lorraine Almond is here to honor the boots with her nephew's name, Sgt. Gregory Blanger. "I wanted to stop and say a prayer. I love him and miss him."

But for some, this display is disrespectful to the troops. Private First Class Jesse Givens was the first Fort Carson soldier to die in Iraq. His widow, Melissa asked for her husband's name to be removed from the boots. "He wouldn't believe in what they stand for." She's among 30 other families who have filed the same request.

Not far from the boots are shoes that represent the Iraqi civilians who were killed. The groups said it's 100,000, a number that's been highly disputed.

Amongst this sea of black, controversy remains, to stay in Iraq or come home? Colorado Springs City Council declined to make it a city sponsored event.