Scott really enjoyed the podcast. I was also an Air Force Pilot from 1976 to 1982, C-130s out of Little Rock. Best man at my wedding is probably someone you knew who also "retired" right after we won the cold war, he flew B-52s out of Texas. I got one ride in a B-52. I found the take off terrifying.
I wasn't yet qualified. But I watched that nose low take off, and knew that just "wouldn't look right" at first. I flew in upstate New York (a G model I think) and a "can bird" that had not flown in 89 days. The crew was working to get qualified. This would have been the summer of 1974. The co-pilot was a great guy named Frisbie, he explained quite a bit to me.
The smell was very much as you described. But the horror of having 8 engines screaming, rolling 12,500 feet down the runway and then going nose down... even though I knew it was coming... was memorable. As was the thump, as the main gear hit the 89 day's of sitting flat spot on the tire.
Another thing that struck a nerve, was the absolute confidence of the qualified crews. I recall asking one, "what are the chances of you getting through to your targets?".
"Oh, we'll get through." I recall the chilling realization that I sure wouldn't want to be there. He had absolute conviction.
SAC was elite because it had to be, in order to accomplish its mission. It was a sorry reward for providing decades of peace the way SAC laid off.