The federal government's fiscal year is October 1 to September 30. Are you referring to the fact that in general a fiscal year can refer to any two sets of calendar years in a row? In other words, two fiscal years simply means 24 consecutive months, right?
I was, I see now, inaccurate in my original post. Thank you for pointing out the error on my part. But this still means the Globe is distorting because they do not tell you to which fiscal year they are reffering. We might give them the benefit of the doubt that they are not distorting the truth, that they are referring to the proper fiscal year (May to May) if it were not for the fact that we know that for the proper FY's in question, Bush had enough points (and therefore served during each one).
It's used in accounting. Corporations go by fiscal years & I think their fiscal years can be any day of the year, though they might be limited to picking the first of one of the months.
May 1st, 1971 thru April 30th, 1972 would be a fiscal year. The next fiscal year (using that same fiscal year) would begin on May 1st, 1972 & end April 30th, 1972.
The Globe claims to have gone by the regs in place at the time covered, yet they've come to a different conclusion than you did. From just about everything I've seen come out of them, I'd trust your eval more than theirs.
It's neither a fiscal year or a calendar year. For Guardsman, it is the "anniversary" year. If you joined in May, it's May to May. Nothing to do with those other years.
Also, small correction, Bush never "transferred" to Alabama. He just was there to "pull drills". Happens all the time in the Guard. His paperwork, pay, and obligation were always with the Houston unit.