Amando S. Marana was a member of the Philippine Scouts during World War II. He and other members of his unit were made prisoners of war by the Japanese. JONATHAN ERNST/STAFF

His determination to defend his homeland against invasion would begin a lifetime of service - and make him a victim of one of the most brutal war crimes history has known.

Mr. Marana, now 83, was among 75,000 victims of the Bataan Death March. He suffered through the infamous event as a U.S. soldier, one of 7,000 Filipinos who served with the Philippine Scouts of the U.S. Army.

''They would just as well have let us die,'' Mr. Marana said of the atrocity in April 1942, during which Japanese soldiers forced U.S. and Filipino prisoners of war to march 55 miles, over five days, through dense jungle to inland concentration camps.

Seven thousand to 10,000 POWs died. Mr. Marana contracted malaria and pneumonia during the march and his stay in a concentration camp afterward.

He remembers the desperate measures to which soldiers would resort for protection from the sweltering jungle heat.

EDITORS NOTE: We asked our readers to share their war stories, and today Amando S. Marana, a survivor of the brutal Bataan Death March, shares his. During the next six months, The Augusta Chronicle will publish the stories of our World War II veterans to commemorate the 60th anniversary of America's entry into the war. We thank all of you who have responded, and we want to hear from more. Mail your submissions to: War Stories, c/o The Augusta Chronicle Newsroom, P.O. Box 1928, Augusta, GA 30903-1928. Or e-mail your stories to newsroom@augustachronicle.com. Please include your name, address and telephone number with your entry.

''We were stripped of our clothing and everything that belonged to us,'' he said. ''What was left us was our shoes. Most of us were pulling socks over our head because we were walking 24 hours a day.

''At one point midway, we were ordered to stop in a wide vacant field. We were made to squat. You can imagine it was very tiresome. It's unbearable.

''I was about 50 meters to the closest guard. At that time, I was thirsty, and I got up. I was stepping on the backs of my fellow POWs to get closer to the guard to ask for a cup of water or something to drink.''

What Mr. Marana received instead, he never forgot.

''He didn't say anything. He lunged at me and gave me a butt-stroke,'' Mr. Marana said, his arms imitating how the soldier hit him with the stock of a rifle.

''He was aiming at my head.''

Although sick POWs were given shelter at the camps, little medical care was provided, Mr. Marana said.

''They would not give us any medicine, and what they gave us to eat was not fit for human beings,'' he said. ''The water was not fit to drink, but we used it to cook rice.''

Yet Mr. Marana credits his deadly illnesses with saving his life. In July, the Japanese released sick POWs, and Mr. Marana was allowed to return to Manila to recover.

''I believe if we were not released at that time, I would have died at the concentration camp,'' Mr. Marana said.

The now-seasoned soldier soon found himself back in the fight for his homeland. After recovering from his illnesses, Mr. Marana headed for the hills east of the city, where he became a leader in the guerrilla movement that continued to oppose the Japanese forces occupying the islands.

''During tactical operations, we were assigned to forward units of U.S. infantry,'' Mr. Marana recalled. ''My company was the only guerrilla unit that they selected to be with the 37th Infantry Division. My company was the best organized of any of the guerrilla units in the area.''

After the war, the guerrillas were absorbed into the Philippine Army, and Mr. Marana was commissioned as a captain. But the veteran chose a different path, taking advantage of an offer of U.S. citizenship to former Philippine Scouts.

He came to the United States in August 1949. When war broke out in Korea, he rejoined the U.S. Army, hoping to serve in Korea. Instead, he was sent to England, but his re-enlistment started a lengthy military career, both on active duty and in the U.S. Army Reserve.

Mr. Marana attained the rank of second lieutenant in the Army Reserve before his retirement. He and his wife of 41 years, Lolita, have six children and four grandchildren.

Four of the couple's children also have served in the U.S. armed forces, including son David, a captain stationed at Eisenhower Army Medical Center at Fort Gordon.

When asked to name a point of personal pride in his life and career, Mr. Marana didn't hesitate.

''It was my becoming an American citizen and serving in the U.S. Army,'' he said. ''I really wanted to become an American citizen, because I believe in democracy. I believe in an individual's right to work for his own welfare and upliftment.''

Reach Brandon Haddock at (706) 823-3409 or bhaddock@augustachronicle.com.