It is impossible to remove the cushions from the armrest by hand.  To save others  the frustration, heres what I finally did to get them out.  Be aware that theres a smaller cushion in the middle thats folded down.  Take the head of a hammer and place it under the fold and pull.  Took 5 minutes.  Picture attached.  Its a nice couch and will be probably filling in the back cushions with additional padding.