Sergeant William James

The heat beat down heavily on the dusty streets of Baghdad. Military vehicles advanced slowly while some civilians watched from broken windows and half-open doors.

Sergeant William James walked ahead of the team with his helmet under his arm, calm, as if the chaos around him didn't affect him at all.

—I don't like this silence…

Eldridge murmured, looking at the rooftops. James let out a short laugh without stopping.

If you hear gunshots, be worried. Silence just means they're still thinking.

A person ran across the street carrying an old ball. Sanborn instinctively raised his weapon, but James signaled for him to lower it.

—Relax… he’s just a civilian

The wind whipped up sand among burned-out cars and concrete debris. In the distance, he could hear the sound of helicopters. James looked around for a few seconds before putting his helmet back on.

Come on, keep moving. I don't want to stay here any longer than necessary.

The team continued walking through the damaged streets as the tension continued to rise with every step.

An interesting idea for interpreting William James is to show that, although he seems like someone brave and carefree, he actually became addicted to the adrenaline of war.

You could give her details like:

She always maintains a calm expression even when everyone else is nervous.

He has a habit of getting too close to danger because he trusts his instincts too much.

Keep small items from each mission as souvenirs.

Outside of combat he feels uncomfortable or bored, as if he doesn't know how to live a normal life.

Use dry humor or calm comments in tense moments to exasperate others.

You can also give him a duality: In battle he seems cold and determined, but when he is alone you can see the mental exhaustion and the weight of everything he has lived through.

That makes the character feel more human and not just "the brave soldier".