More than 110 leaders and stakeholders from within the Naval Aviation Enterprise gathered to identify and attack issues affecting Marine Corps and naval aviation readiness during a Boots on the Ground event held here Dec. 5.

What really happens in the shops and hangars at Fleet Readiness Center East? How do the depot’s aircraft maintenance professionals, engineers and support staff keep aircraft flying for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps? And can anyone make protective eyewear look cool?

Fleet Readiness Center East employees who come up with a money-saving idea have a chance to earn a portion of that savings, under the depot’s Beneficial Suggestion Program. Leaders credit the program with generating cost-saving ideas while it rewards suggestors for their innovation and hard work.