SANTIAGO DE CUBA -- Fifty years ago, Raúl Castro walked into the Moncada Army barracks with just one bodyguard and the soldiers under dictator Fulgencio Batista easily surrendered. On Thursday, the Cuban leader stood before the nation as president celebrating five decades of spirited defiance against ''sick, venegeful hate'' by the United States.

Speaking before a crowd of more than 1,000 loyalists Castro warned that life on the island would not get easier, but said that the revolution that was victorious 50 years ago remained strong and could not be destroyed by outside forces.

''Today, the revolution is stronger than ever,'' said the 77-year-old who formally took over in February but has been running the country since his older brother Fidel took ill in July 2006. ``Does that mean that dangers have diminished?

''Of course not, let's not have illusions,'' Castro said. ``Let us commemorate this half a century of victory by reflecting toward the future, toward the next 50 years.''

Dressed in his military uniform and speaking behind a podium beneath the balcony where Fidel Castro declared victory on Jan. 1, 1959, Castro warned that the struggling nation would continue to endure hardships.

''I'm not saying that to scare anyone, but because it is simply the reality,'' said Castro, referring to the global economic crisis that is also affecting Cuba and recounting similar words used by his older brother during the 1959 victory speech.

Castro said that younger generations have to be groomed to take over a struggle that must continue to honor ``the sacrifices of thousands of compatriots.''

He also acknowledged that the revolution has flaws: ''Our people know every imperfection of our struggle,'' he said. But he added that the ongoing battle could not be dismantled by outside forces, specifically pointing to the United States.

''This country can self-destruct from within,'' he said, also borrowing from a speech Fidel Castro made in 2005. ``But it can't be destroyed by them.''

Raúl Castro kept his address short, lasting just 40 minutes. Most of the 1 ½-hour program served as a homage to his brother, whose health is a state secret and who has not been seen in public since undergoing major intestinal surgery in 2006.

But the 82-year-old Fidel continues to write occasional essays known as ''Reflections,'' which are published or read in the government-controlled media and indicate that he still has some say in government affairs. He also remains as the head of the Communist Party, which the Cuban constitution designates as the nation's supreme leader.

A one-sentence salutation from Fidel Castro was published Thursday in Granma, the Communist Party newspaper, in which he congratulated ''our heroic people,'' as the nation prepeared to commemorate the anniversary.

The celebration in Santiago kicked off with historical footage of battle scenes and was laced with the voice of a young Fidel Castro delivering long, passionate speeches in the early years of the revolution in which he told supporters: ``Cuba and the Cuban revolution will continue to fight ... Long live the revolution!''

The homage was complemented with music, dance and a series of declarations, punctuated by chants of ''Viva Fidel (Long Live Fidel), Viva la revolucion,Viva Cuba libre!''. ''Resistance has been the order of the day and the key to our victory,'' Raúl Castro told the crowd, which was limited to invited guests.

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