[Astronomy]

1. Fuck yes it's worth it to keep E-5. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You were already a junior NCO in the Navy. In terms of general military experience and troop leading time, that puts you well ahead of the typical 18X possessing zero prior service experience. Every non-prior service X-Ray in your graduating class is going to arrive on a team, as a shake & bake NCO, with less actual military experience than a typical E-3. You'll arrive with considerably more (assuming you graduate from the SFQC). That's of benefit to the Regiment. It's just the way of things.

2. In simple fiscal mercenary terms, E-5 pay is greater than E-4 pay, and the promotion board timeline to E-6 eligibility is shortened by already being an E-5. It's a no-brainer. If all it takes to keep that prior service E-5 is some delayed enlistment time, paperwork, or waivers... you should exhaust that pursuit until someone at the highest level definitively rules it out. Give it a shot. If it's not waiverable, move out and draw fire as an E-4. You'll make back your E-5 very quickly anyway. Like by the time you graduate and arrive at your first ODA.

3. I ETS'ed from Active Duty SF as a SSG. Immediately enlisted into SF Reserve. Made SFC. A few years later, I accessioned back onto AD as an SF E-7. The rules and regulations for SF Accessions are there in black & white... even at USAREC. Like re-enlistment bonuses, the drop-a-grade thing comes and goes with the vagaries of projected SF manning requirements.

My $.02 as a retired SF SGM.