Obama Plans for Withdrawal of U.S. Troops From Afghanistan

President Barack Obama Wednesday night laid out a plan for withdrawing more than 30,000 U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September 2012.

In a televised speech to the American public, Obama said the war "will come to a responsible end."

The plan, to withdraw 10,000 by the end of 2011 starting in July and another 23,000 troops by fall 2012, brought criticism and support even before the president's speech was delivered.

The drawdown will still leave 68,000 troops in Afghanistan, according to the Huffington Post.

Some 1,500 members of the military have fallen and 12,000 have been wounded since the 2001 U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, according to the Associated Press.

Camp Pendleton's 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit is scheduled for deployment to the West Pacific and Middle East regions in the fall. The Marines are in the middle of several weeks of prepatory training.

Check back later with Camp Pendleton Patch for reaction from Marines and Oceanside civilians to the president's speech.