A good pair of sharp fabric scissors and the job is done in two minutes. However, you have to be careful not to cut into the fabric... as happened to me on one side of the black one
Fortunately, my mother-in-law is a seamstress and quickly fixed it. Now it looks better than if I just cut it off.
It's certainly more professional if you cut it open, remove the epaulettes and sew it up again.
But hey, some people cut those things off leather jackets. And for me, an M-65 can look a little worn
