By Coral Gables Gazette staff

The City of Coral Gables will dedicate a park in memory of one of its own, renaming the triangle green space at 7700 Old Cutler Road as Staff Sergeant Carl Philippe Enis Veteran’s Memorial Park.

The ceremony is scheduled for Veterans’ Day, Tuesday, November 11, at noon, and the public is invited to attend and celebrate Enis’s legacy. Refreshments will be served.

Honoring a native son

According to the city’s announcement, Staff Sergeant Enis grew up in Coral Gables and attended Gulliver Preparatory School before earning a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies and a master’s degree in business administration from Florida State University.
He went on to serve as a pararescueman with the U.S. Air Force Reserve’s 308th Rescue Squadron, based at Patrick Air Force Base in Melbourne, Florida.

Enis was born March 31, 1986, in Miami Beach. He was 31 years old when he and six other airmen were killed on March 15, 2018, in a helicopter crash on the Syrian-Iraqi border during a mission in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.

A record of service

The Department of Defense identified Enis as one of seven airmen lost in the incident, which involved an HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter. He was later laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.

Enis’s military record includes recognition as 920th Rescue Wing Airman of the Year and Air Force Reserve Command Pararescueman of the Year. He was posthumously awarded the Meritorious Service Medal and the Air Force Commendation Medal (with combat device).

As a pararescueman—part of the Air Force’s elite Guardian Angel team—Enis was trained in combat medicine, parachuting, diving, mountaineering, and survival operations. Pararescuemen live by the creed: “These things we do, that others may live.”

A lasting tribute

The city’s notice describes the dedication as an opportunity for residents to gather in recognition of Enis’s “extraordinary life and service.” The park’s setting along Old Cutler Road, shaded by banyans and oaks, offers a quiet space for reflection.

The event will include the formal unveiling of the new park name, Staff Sergeant Carl Philippe Enis Veteran’s Memorial Park, followed by a community gathering.

A legacy remembered

Enis’s family, friends, and fellow airmen have remembered him as a genuine and selfless person who loved the outdoors. In addition to his military service, he held active Florida licenses in real estate, insurance brokerage, and aviation.

Staff Sergeant Carl Philippe Enis Veteran’s Memorial Park is among 70 public parks and open spaces in Coral Gables.