The President announced a troop surge of 30,000 starting in 2010 and he says he will begin to transfer troops out of Afghanistan in July of 2011, but he didn't give a time when all of them would be out.

About two dozen anti-war protestors gathered on the corner of Nevada and Bijou to send a message to President Obama. "He hasn't pursued getting an end to war. This escalation is the same as Vietnam. It's not winnable. It's simply got to end," says Eric Verlo, secretary for Coloradoans For Peace.

As the President addressed the American public, he defended his decision to send more troops. “It must be clear that Afghans will have to take responsibilty for their security, and that America has no interest in fighting an endless war in Afghanistan," says Mr. Obama.

For one Army reservist family from Colorado, the war hits home. Their only son, First Lieutenant Eric Montegomery has spent the past year in Afghanistan. They support the troop surge. “Certainly in our discussion with our son and others, there's a need for additional support. It's a lot of territory to cover," says Roger Montegomery.

Right now, 5,000 Fort Carson soldiers are fighting in Afghanistan. Their wives say while the news of more deployments is tough to hear, this is what they signed up for. “This is our husband's job, it's their passion. It's why they do this," says Tara Crooks.

The surge will likely impact soldiers at the Mountain Post, but right now, a spokesman says they don't know what the plans are just yet.

Shortly after the President’s address, Senator Mark Udall released this statement: “I’ve said from the beginning that our focus in the war against Islamic extremism needs to be Afghanistan. President Obama has taken time to develop a new strategy, and I think we need to pursue it because it’s the best of the imperfect options available.

“As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I still have questions I will continue to ask – starting with a request for more details about our plans to work with and train Afghan forces as well as our ability to field additional troops given our commitments in Iraq and elsewhere.”

Republican Mike Coffman released this statement: “Unfortunately, the President’s speech was more about an exit strategy than a winning strategy. History teaches us that weakness invites aggression and the President showed weakness tonight by explicitly stating a fixed timeline for withdrawal, irrespective of the conditions on the ground. As a Marine Corps combat veteran, I understand first hand that setting an artificial timeline will only embolden our enemies who now know exactly how long it will take to wait out our limited commitment to finishing the job.”

Answering that kind of criticism, President Obama said Tuesday night that not having a timeline sends the wrong message to the Afghan government. The President said the shorter horizon tells the Afghans that they must begin to shoulder the fight.

The President says the comparison with Vietnam "depends upon a false reading of history." He said unlike Vietnam, the U.S. has been joined by a coalition of 43 nations in Afghanistan and is not facing a broad-based popular insurgency.