That's such a male thing to say
It's almost certainly derived from "death before dishonor", a U.S. Marine Corps slogan since the XIX century. Maybe not a direct derivation—"death before dishonor" is in everything from the names of metal bands to video games now—but, ultimately, that's where it's from. And, yeah, few things are more male than the Marine Corps.
True, but, I can't easily twist my mind into imagining a US armed forces veteran adding the tankie hammer and sickle.
That's such a male thing to say. And, really, fewer males in the world is always a good thing.