[petercooper]

It's a common turn of phrase used by people who are working "for their country" in security related jobs.

People in the police, army, and similar forces (whether TSA officers are considered as such is a political point) are often spoken about in similar terms regardless of how dangerous their jobs actually are (e.g. an Army chef based in the US may be revered just as much for putting their 'life on the line' as someone running into Helmand because it's about their service to the country rather than the absolute risk).

[eeeeeeeeeeeee]

Right, but police and army have an actual risk. It’s not really the same comparison.

I never hear people talk about how the postal service mail carriers “put their lives on the line” although they are probably at an increased over TSA because of dog attacks.