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    Parking garage sends employee home for wearing his military-issued pants and boots in the snow: 'They said dress warm today, so that's exactly what I did.'

    Author image for Emmy Pratt
    Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
    Feb 23, 2026 12:00 PM EST

    His bosses don't want to give customers the wrong idea.

    There are many rules about when, where, and who can wear official US Army uniforms. Civilians are not allowed to wear current-issue US military uniforms or any recognizable parts of them, such as a jacket with patches. You're allowed to wear camo pants bought from a second-hand or surplus store that don't have any official military tags or patches. You're only allowed to wear the full army getup if you're a veteran or an actor playing a soldier in a production. 

    By all of these metrics, you'd think a former soldier would be able to wear his old pants and boots, especially when he's working outside in freezing temperatures while it's snowing. If he's just shoveling his driveway, it's likely nobody is going to bat an eye at him. But if he's directing traffic in an official capacity, it's understandable why a workplace wouldn't want him in official military getup. Customers might mistake him for a member of the military and assume something dangerous is happening. Military uniforms signal something very specific to civilians. Civilians everywhere know what their country's army uniform looks like; it's important for staying safe. We can easily differentiate someone wearing army pants from Forever 21 and combat boots from DSW footwear from someone wearing actual military-issued boots and pants. If you're wearing a real military uniform, you can't be surprised if people think that you're a real military member. 

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    • Soldier in camouflage standing in the snow
      via Kateryna Hliznitsova (Unsplash+)

      Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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    • The parking garage employee in this story is a veteran. His boss told him to dress warmly today because of the snowstorm last night, so he decided to wear his military pants and boots, which are warmer than his Dickies. Unfortunately, his boss sent him home because he didn't consider that to be proper workplace attire.

    • Just got sent home for wearing my military issued pants and boots while it's snowing.

      I work in a parking garage. Which as you know is open and cold during the winter time.
      via u/disasterpiece01
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    • Cars parked in parking garage
      via Luismi Sánchez

      Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

    • All we have to do is tell people what way to drive with those stupid LED light sticks.
      via u/disasterpiece01
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    • They said dress warm today in the group chat so that's exactly what I did. My military issued pants are warmer than my Dickies.
      via u/disasterpiece01
    • I also don't have black shoes or boots and have been wearing my military issued ones the entire time I've worked here.
      via u/disasterpiece01
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    • So yeah they sent me home over it and it's like 30 degrees outside. I rode the bus to and from work.
      via u/disasterpiece01
    • Red and white bus driving on snow-covered road
      via Pedro Sanz

      Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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    • The decent thing to do would be to give me a warning like hey don't do that again but since you're already here go ahead and stay.
      via u/disasterpiece01
    • Shadowfalx I'm guessing fatigues and brown dessert boots? The boots aren't going to make you look like you're running some mimitary/police operations in the parking garage, but the fatigues will. Also, 30°F isn't that cold and just doubling up on pants or wearing long John's would work far better than fatigues, which aren't really that warm to be honest, any time it hit cold we always ended up with either pants or long John's under the camie pants.
      via u/Shadowfalx
    • disasterpiece01 Original Poster's Reply Compared to Dickies they're thicker and warmer.
      via u/disasterpiece01
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    • Watertrap1 Why are you wearing your utes to work and why do you not own pants that are warmer than military issued pants or Dickies? Even if I were army, I wouldn't show up wearing those, but if I were an employer, I wouldn't like it appearing as if the natty guard were running my garage?
      via u/Watertrap1
    • disasterpiece01 Original Poster's Reply Because I'm no longer enlisted I've worn them to other jobs before this one and it was never an issue. Dickies aren't really baggy enough to wear multiple layers under them.
      via u/disasterpiece01
    • analytic_tendancies Do they have your name and service on them?? Thought that was against regs to wear your issued pants like that. I remember boots were ok I think, but definitely not blouse or trousers with the name and service on them
      via u/analytic_tendancies
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    • disasterpiece01 Original Poster's Reply Military issued pants haven't had any identifying patches on them since the early 2000s. The name tag goes on the back of your cover these days. And everything is Velcro too now.
      via u/disasterpiece01
    • TAforScranton Depends. USMC cammies still have them sewn on. I honestly guessed that you were wearing some gortex bottoms because those things get pretty warm but you were wearing straight up cammie bottoms? They're not much warmer than dickies.
      via u/TAforScranton
    • disasterpiece01 Original Poster's Reply They are to me and they're baggier allowing for thermals underneath. Dickies are a little more fit or tight.
      via u/disasterpiece01
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    • analytic_tendancies Like the other guy said, my usmc had name and service on blouse and name on trousers and we were definitely not allowed to to wear them anywhere except on base and while active duty 2007-2012
      via u/analytic_tendancies
    • disasterpiece01 Original Poster's Reply Army doesn't have anything identifying on the pants. At least not in recent years. I'm no longer enlisted these are the pants I came home with.
      via u/disasterpiece01
    • Audio-Starshine Are you allowed to wear military gear outside of military operations? I know my son isn't but maybe it's different because he's a Marine?
      via u/Audio-Starshine
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    • disasterpiece01 Original Poster's Reply I'm no longer enlisted. If I was i wouldn't be parking cars.
      via u/disasterpiece01
    • MxDragioni They say to dress warm to cover their liability if you get too cold, not because they are actually gonna allow you to dress warm. What's so hard to understand about that? /s
      via u/MxDragioni
    • railworx Im sure OP isn't talking full A-Team getup
      via u/railworx

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    Tags

    boss uniform snow pants cold military boots workplace parking warm
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