He doesn't have to ask for a grade reinstatement if he doesn't want it.
+1 - Though "Why?" should be the first question and it's not trivial, because
people who come into the org with "feelings" about the grade, whether "want / don't want"
beyond the norm, generally have "feelings" about other things that cause issues as well.
The fact that he doesn't want to be reinstated to the grade he earned, but still wants to
wear the USAF-style variant is also a red flag, if only because those two things don't generally go
together.
Unless he his prior military and requests to be in the NCO track, he wear the Officer variant
of the uniform - CAP epaulet sleeves with no grade insignia and US cutout on the service coat.
He's not an NCO in that case, he's a CAP member without grade.