Belleville attorney William L. Enyart is now entitled to be addressed as “General Enyart” by his colleagues.

A member of the ISBA Committee on Military Affairs, he was promoted July 4 to brigadier general of the Illinois Army National Guard during a ceremony at the Veterans Memorial in Belleville's public square.

The ceremony was conducted by 4th Circuit Judge Ronald D. Spears, a retired National Guard colonel who chairs the ISBA committee.

“To become a general, it's very difficult,” Enyart told a reporter for the News-Democrat. “The sun, the moon and the stars have to align.”

Attaining the rank that designates him as co-commander of the 9,600 citizen soldiers in Illinois has been a 24-year climb. Enyart joined the National Guard in 1982 originally as a means of repaying his student loans.

He had served previously for four years in the Air Force, stationed in Okinawa, and subsequently in Ukraine, Poland and Italy after joining the Guard.

Enyart says his most rewarding responsibility is attending homecoming celebrations for men and women in the National Guard who have returned from calls to active duty in battle zones such as Iraq.

“When these young soldiers come home, the entire town, the entire county will turn out,” he said. “To see the love and respect those people have for the soldiers is awe-inspiring.”

A 1979 graduate of the Southern Illinois University School of Law, Enyart is a partner in Enyart & Peebles. He is married to 20th Circuit Judge Annette A. Eckert.