[fitsbits] Time and Date fields (24 hour AMPM indicator)

[Kenn Lynch]

Hello all
I've found what I believe to be a problem in one of the image
processing programs I use. Of course it uses it's own compressed
format quite well. But it creates Fits Date and time fields that 
appear corrupt to me (and apparently some other FIT readers)
This package is creating data and time fields that contain an AM PM
indicator that also appears to be swapped with the decimal seconds
field see the following example

DATE-OBS= '2000-10-01T2:02:15 PM.1E3'

The last 3 bytes appear either to be swapped 
with the 3 before the last 3 ? 

or on the other hand maybe it should be in 24 hour 
format begin with '2000-10-01T14:02:15.1??' 

Or I'm totally wrong and so are some of the other 
packages I've used? <BG>

I've tried to research this in some of the FITS documentation
but all I've found makes reference the 4 digit year, and y2k delema,
the encouragement to add time to date field, the use of UTC  but
little about the acceptability of the am/pm convention itself 
and if it is proper form"?

Can someone point me to a specific piece of FITS documentation that 
specifically focuses on this area.? There is a language barrier
involved here and If what I am seeing as incorrect, is indeed wrong I
will need to prove it.  If I am wrong I'll also want to provide him a
reference for the next time the question comes up.


Thanks in advance 
I hope there are some people here who are familiar enough
with the standard to point me to a specific reference 
to this issue.

Kenn Lynch