MAJURO@ONLINE 
MARCH 1, 2002 (M.I. Journal)
NOT SO 'LUCKY' MARCH 1 - LOCAL OFFICALS ARE GEARING UP FOR AN EVENTUL FRIDAY AT THE WEATHER STATION AREA TO MARK NUCLEAR VICTIMS DAY - A NATIONAL HOLIDAY IN THE RMI. MARCH 1 MARKS THE DAY 48 YEARS AGO THAT THE 15-MEGATON BRAVO HYDROGEN BOMB TEST EXPLODED ON BIKINI ATOLL. THIS YEAR'S EVENT BRINGS A NEW DEVELOPMENT: MATASHICHI OISHI, A FORMER CREW MEMBER OF THE FUKURU MARU NO.5 BETTER KNOWN AS THE "LUCKY DRAGON", IS COMING TO MAJURO TO PARTICIPATE IN THE COMMEMORATION, HE IS TO BE JOINED BY HIROSHI MIWA, A SURVIVOR OF THE ATOMIC BOMB DROPPED ON NAGASAKI, JAPAN AT THE END OF WORLD WAR II. THE LUCKY DRAGON DIDN'T LIVE UP TO ITS NAME WHEN IT HAD THE MISFORTUNE TO BE NEAR BIKINI THE DAY OF THAT FATEFUL BLAST IN 1954 THAT DISTRIBUTED NUCLEAR FALLOUT AROUND THE MARSHALL ISLANDS. THE CREW OF THE SHIP, AND ITS CATCH OF TUNA, WAS SERIOUSLY EXPOSED TO FALLOUT AND , LIKE MANY MARSHALLESE LIVING ON DOWNWIND ISLANDS, BECAME ILL IN THE DAYS AFTER THE FALLOUT FROM THE IMMEDIATE EFFECTS OF RADITATION EXPOSURE. ...