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Alabamian takes reins of forces in Iraq  view story
Monday, April 25, 2005
TOM GORDON - - Birmingham News
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When John Randolph Vines was a senior at Oak Grove High School, the yearbook playfully predicted that in 20 years he would be seen "cruising around the world in his yacht."
The wag who wrote those words in 1967 was mostly right: Vines would see a lot of the world, but never from a yacht. As a career Army officer, Vines' vantage points often have been from a parachute, a Humvee, a helicopter or on foot patrol.
Today, Vines' world-watching gaze is focused on Iraq. As the three-star general in command of the 150,000-strong American and coalition forces on the ground there, the barbecue- and beer-loving Alabamian is having a big say in the affairs of a country where the fledgling democracy is a lot like a bicyclist needing training wheels to stay upright and constant pumping to keep his tires inflated.
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